Oh My Goddess: Wisdom's Eye in the Ring of Fire
by paladin313
Summary: Sequel to "Between Heaven and Earth."  All seems to have gone back to normal until Hagal gains aid in escaping her prison, and now seeks things that may will annihilate the entire universe.  Can't a goddess and her man have any peace?
1. Chapter 1

**Oh My Goddess: Wisdom's Eye in the Ring of Fire**

By

John O. Smith (paladin313)

_To Hotelkatz, my beta reader and inspiration to keep working on "Oh My Goddess" despite purist fools who know nothing about writing. Thank you for the encouragement and the ideas for this new story._

Preface and Disclaimer

First, I would like to say, "thank you" to all those that flocked to the first story that I wrote for the world of _Oh My Goddess_. I thank you for all the positive reviews and even some of the rough, and yet constructive criticism that I received that helped me make the first story better and better as we went along, (including from the person to whom I dedicated this work. Without Hotel's feeding me some concepts with which to start a new story, this would not be happening.) As some of you read in the first part of the first story, I placed the story as either a side story to the current arc currently in print, or something that was just after it. Now that this has been done, we settle in on our favorite characters some months after the latest arc. Now, if what I write turns out different from what they do, consider this also as either a side story, or an alternate universe. When _Oh My Goddess_ was first conceived, they decided to base it loosely off Norse mythology, and they poked some fun at it as they went. This I also tried to do and I hope I did succeed. Because of the stories out there in myth, there is much to be played with in this universe. This is where it becomes fun, and I hope that I can create a few laughs along the way as well.

However, before I continue, there is something I would like to address, and that is the issue of people putting in original characters and the "Mary Sue/Gary Stu" stigma. Now, in the preface of the first story, I explained the reasons for my adding original characters, and that stance has not changed. I would also like to say and admit that in my early days of fan fiction writing, there was a story series where I did make a Mary Sue kind of character, and he did take over the story. What is ironic about that is the fact that, despite that, they ended up with somewhat of a readership anyway. How I pulled that off with so many Mary Sue watchdogs out there is beyond me. What is more ironic is that, though I learned my lesson from those early works, and though I have tried to avoid doing this from that day forward, I get hit with those kinds of accusations! Is that not silly? I make one, don't even think about it, people love it, but I try to avoid it, and I get fingers pointed at me! Such is the case of Ian McGovern, of whom, if you read and loved the first story, you know him well. Though he is empowered, he is not the central character of the story, nor did I ever intend him to be. Some chapters did not involve him! Though some chapters were spent establishing him, once I felt that that had been done, I mixed him into the scenery with the rest of the characters. He is an active part of things, but it is not about him, it is about Belldandy and Keiichi, first and foremost! Despite that, he was called by a few as a Mary Sue, and specifically a God Mod Sue and a Relationship Sue. How they came up with the first one, I don't know. The second one was because I put him into a relationship with Megumi. Yet, why could this not happen? She was available, and they actually had some things in common. They were a fit. Yet, for some people, if one creates an original character, then that character has to have nothing special about him or her, that the character has to be a weakling, the character cannot have a relationship with any cannon, period! In fact, what I really think it is, is that some don't like ANYONE creating any original characters whatsoever. Their attitude has to be, "When I read about my favorite story, I want to see those characters, and not your piece of crap!"

In other words, how could anyone have the audacity to think they could be as creative as they that created the characters? That is a strange way to think, considering you are reading fan fiction…_**FAN**_ fiction. Do you get the point? This was an original tale written by a fan of the series, movie, book, or whatnot based on that what he or she loves. If someone has the aforementioned attitude, then why is he or she reading fan fiction to begin with? That makes no sense to me.

Sadly, what I really think it boils down to is the fact that those who cry "foul" against original characters, or who are quick to label something a Mary Sue, are really people who have tried to write themselves, find they don't have nearly the imagination they think they have, find out just how hard it is to do something like this, and then lash out at those who seem to do it with ease. It's jealousy, pure and simple! They are whom I call the purists. These are people that sit there and run a slide rule up one side of you and down another, and demand that it has to be this way, that way, and no other way, or else you are going to Hell! Okay, so I'm being a little harsh, but that's how it feels to be on the other end of it. Well, Virgil Fox had those kinds of critics because of the way he interpreted Bach on the organ. They did not like how he presented what he called a "red blooded Bach." They told him that Bach could not be interpreted because no one really knew his personality, so one just has to play the notes, and the music takes care of itself. Don't put any emotion into it. He said they were full of it, saying that the emotions that the music conjures are how Bach intended it, and thus, how he plays it. He said that purists are people who talk about it and can't do it! I agree with him. They point fingers over critically and jump down your throat if you come up with something more creative than they could ever do, and rip you to pieces. Well, here is how I see the whole thing, and the rules under which I operate.

First of all, there is always room for interpretation. In other words, you have to stay within certain parameters. You have to keep the personalities as they are supposed to be. The only exception is if you logically develop the character in such a fashion as could be possible within the context of the story. Sayoko, for example, if she had gone through what I put her through in the last story, that could be a possible outcome. There was a change to her personality, but only because it was something that _might_ have happened. That is not to say that she is still not proud or arrogant, but she has a different outlook to life now, and her pride and arrogance only drives her to better herself and other people. That does not mean that she is still not competitive, but it is not in a selfish way anymore. Well, that was how it went in my tale. She still wants to be better than Belldandy, but not to where she hurts her, but to where she can truly be a better person. In short, I foresee her becoming a savvy businesswoman who understands the cutthroat world within which she lives and has the ability to be just as vicious as she needs to be, yet, because of what she had faced, turning her focus to business success, knowing that trying to win some petty war against Belldandy is foolish compared to that. She knows she now has bigger fish to fry. Thus, she is different, but she is not, and only because the situations that I put her in led me to think that it could go that way. She is who she is, but her energies are directed more towards being constructive than destructive. Skuld, as another example, if presented with the right logic, may be one to back off. Indeed, in the original cannon, she learned to ease up on Keiichi, but I looked at the relationship they started between her and Sentaro. Even though he moved to the other side of town, they still saw each other, and thus, there was the potential for that relationship to grow. If that happens as I depicted in my story, I had to ask myself just how she would feel and react to Keiichi and her sister. I would think that there would come a point where she would feel like a huge hypocrite, and there would be some point where she would have to just let go of her sister, because, there might come a day where she could end up in a similar situation, and what would she do then? I combined the two, and decided to make a way for a contract to be formed between her and Sentaro, and thus, things just seemed to follow a logical progression. If someone did not like that, then I guess he or she could try their hand at writing their own thing and interpret it his or her way. The bottom line is that you have flexibility, but if you to go certain routes, it has to make sense. In other words, if you move the whole crew to, say, Toledo, there had better be a good reason for it. Stay within what is given unless you have a believable way of changing things, knowing that you do have some flexibility to develop the cannon characters, but only as logic would dictate. Don't deviate too far from who they are, or if they do change, keep enough of the traits of how they began so that they will still be recognizable.

Secondly, when creating original characters, they can be whatever you want, but, in order to avoid REAL Mary Sue situations, keep the following in mind:

First, they can be as powerful as you want them to be, yet, there needs to be character flaws, and a weakness here or there. In other words, they need to be tangible enough that the reader can relate one way or another to the original characters. For example, he or she needs to have the ability to be hurt, and even die if that is what is needed. They need to have some quirks and maybe an eccentricity that makes him or her within reach of the reader. Making them godlike to the point where they can never be hurt or never fail is rather boring. They need to be believable, but they can be whatever you imagine as long as you can get away with it.

Second, do not displace cannon characters for your own. You really know if someone is a Mary Sue when the original character becomes the new romantic interest of one of the central characters, especially when it becomes real hot and heavy right away. In that case, sadly, what you have is an author living out some kind of perverted fantasy with his or her favorite character in the story. In other words, one ends up infatuated with someone who really does not exist, and makes some way where they can live out this fantasy through a character that is everything he or she would want to be for real. The only ways you have an original character get into any relationship with a cannon character is, first, if the cannon is not involved romantically with anyone in the story, and second, if they truly would be a good match. Again, such things have to make sense.

Third, original characters, no matter how involved in the story the character is, are not what got people to read your story in the first place. They came to see the characters they have come to love. This is not to say that your character cannot have a central role in the plot of the story. What I am saying is that the character cannot be the one who resolves the final conflict. That has to go to the central characters that were there to start with. They can help, but they cannot be the one to save the day. It is best that they are less powerful than the cannon characters. They are supporting cast, not the main reason for the story, no matter how involved they become. For example, Ian nearly dies at the end of my tale, though his near loss was because he wanted to protect Belldandy and Keiichi at any cost, even if it meant his life. Belldandy was the one to win the day, because she is one of the two central characters. Ian will be in this story, but I do not foresee him having as much of a role in this one because he is now well established, his _modus operandi _is known, and there is no need to thrust him into the center of the story because of that. He will be as one of the supporting cast that is already in the cannon, and that's how it should be. He may get a chapter or two, but only if there is any need for that, yet, his role will not be a cameo either.

These are the three basic rules I follow for avoiding Mary Sue, and if one can stay within this, they can create a great original character that adds to the story and does not take from it.

This has been a lengthy preface, but because of all that I have seen, I felt it was necessary to go this route just to get something off my chest and to help others understand that I don't do things with out rhyme or reason. This is why it is called _creative_ writing. How can it be creative if some critic out there wants to say you are not allowed to create? I also hope that this may help others become better writers and how to let the critics that wish not to be constructive, or who have no ability to think outside the box, (or in this case, the cannon,) and their comments roll right off their backs. For anyone like that who wants to cram me into some kind of a box and say, "This far and no further," they need to go stick it up their nose, because that just means they need to learn how to get an imagination. I mean, they did this to Bach, to Mozart, to Beethoven, to Picasso, to Rembrandt, to Scott Joplin, to Van Gogh, and so forth, and I am so glad they did not listen, because, if they thought like the people with no vision that criticized them for how they did things, this world would have been a really colorless and dull place!

Chapter 1: Don't Look Back…Something Might Be Gaining On You

For months now, Hagal had been fighting her way through the Abyss. Each layer was worse than the other was, and it was taking everything she had not to be consumed by the gloom, darkness, and wicked spirits she faced. Indeed, months had passed, yet, the concept of time had been lost to her by this point, and she was a razor's edge from complete and utter madness. She had no idea if she had been there for days or centuries. Even worse than that was that she knew she had only gotten through a handful of layers, knowing that there was yet hundreds more to go. She had just gotten past her latest challenge and she stood at the next door, one step away from lunacy, and truly not wanting to go into the next layer. Right before she lost her mind completely, she heard a voice say, "Well…aren't we in a pretty predicament."

She wheeled around, looking for what had spoken, not certain if she could handle another fight. The voice spoke again and said, "Yes, you are not who you thought you were, are you?"

"Shut up!" she screamed, "Hagal needs not this taunting!"

"Ah, but you want more power," the voice retorted, "Yet, you know not how to gain it."

"Who are you!" she screamed, "Leave me alone!"

"Oh, so sad…I see such a kindred spirit in you. I think you want what I want."

"All Hagal wants is to get her hands on that little dog's throat and choke the life out of her using her lover's intestines!"

"Ah, but why stop there? What about that meddling family of hers, and the one that condemned you here? How about them?"

She sighed and snarled, "Yes, them as well."

"Why take over the surface world? Why not just eliminate it, if only to get at the one who is ultimately responsible for your misery."

The only one that came to that description is the Almighty, and in a way, she wanted to dig at him as well. She said, "What do I have to do."

"Hmm…now you are being reasonable," answered the voice, and she then saw a vision of a well. He then said, "In that well lies the answer to your problems. If you can gain that which is in the bottom of the well, you will have part of what you need."

She then saw the vision of the river Rhine in Germany, and then the image went underwater to the river maidens who were keeping watch over a pile of forged gold. There were various vessels, plates, and other such things, as well as a chain mail coif, and a golden ring. The coif and the ring she knew, and she said, "Yes, I know what those are."

The voice then said, "Combine that which rests at the bottom of the well with those two items, and you would displace even the Almighty himself. Hild would be no problem for you. By getting them, you can help me eliminate the surface world as well, and that would be your repayment to me."

"Repayment for what?" she asked, "What are you saying?"

"I shall free you from this torment if you help me with the other thing. After that, you can do as you wish."

"What is the catch? There has to be a catch."

"There is no catch. I'll set you free, you gain the items, and you repay me by helping me eliminate creation as it is known on the surface world."

Hagal still did not like this, but, if it got her out of there, she could try to do what she wanted once she was free. She had to take the chances where they came, and she said, "Fine, then let us go…but first, tell Hagal your name."

There was a small laugh, and then he said, "Some call me Abaddon, others call me Exterminans, but most know me as Apollyon."

She swallowed hard on hearing this. Now, she was not so sure about this. If this was the spirit she knew him to be, he may want more than just the surface world, for the only thing he knew was to destroy. Yet, the voice became more firm and said, "Do not even think about backing out now! You have already agreed! Because I am freeing you, I call the shots! Betray me, and I shall ensure that, not only shall you be eradicated; I shall also ensure that no one ever has the ability to remember that you even existed! Now, let us go…we have work to do!"

Final exams had finished for the semester, and because Ian had a good job now working at the Whirlwind parts warehouse in the logistics department, he decided not to take summer classes and to take the time to train and to get to know Megumi even better. A successful hockey season was over by this point, and now he could focus on what was really important. Skuld, however, still had a month and a half of school left to her, but because Sentaro was with her, it was not a burden. They had become closer and closer, and there were some in her class that were jealous similar to how Sayoko had once been of Belldandy. Yet, it was not as severe, because, though he was popular for his love of extreme sports, he was not exactly the campus prince, and so there was not as much competition. However, Skuld had more friends than she had enemies, and her time was actually pleasant. She asked herself why she avoided contact with people for the couple of years she had been living on the surface world, and realized she had missed much. She was also a top student in her school, though not in all subjects. In math and science, she had no equal, as well as in history. However, she lacked in her knowledge of the social sciences and home economics, though her brother and sister were more than willing to help her with all that. Despite that, she ranked high, and she was indeed having fun. So focused was she on her new contract with Sentaro and school that she did not even give one thought any longer to the things that Keiichi and Belldandy did together. She was learning to love in many new ways now, thanks to her exposure to other kids, and thus, she had bigger fish to fry. Indeed, she was very helpful to others, and she was really finding her niche as a goddess. Urd was moving up in the pharmaceutical world, and there was talk in her shop about a company wanting her on the consultation board for the creation of new medicines. She was also finding her way in the world, and it sure beat sitting at home doing nothing, though she still recorded her favorite shows to watch at a later time. Belldandy and Keiichi were now closer than ever, and because of how things had changed, were now even sleeping in the same bed together. Although they still had not become physical, Belldandy's special gift that they had shared not months before far made up for it. Many said they were now joined at the hip, and that they would not be surprised to hear wedding bells very soon.

This particular day was a day off for Belldandy, and Skuld came bouncing in with a smile and a song, and said, "Hi, big sis!" enthusiastically as she could. The pair embraced warmly, and Belldandy said, "Well, I see that you have had a good day today! Come and I shall put out some ice cream for you!"

Skuld squealed in delight as they went into the kitchen and Skuld revealed the details of the day, most of them centered on Sentaro. Belldandy smiled and said, "Well, I can see that someone is going to have her unlimited status very soon if she continues to work hard!"

"Do you really think so, big sis?" she said, all anxious.

"Oh, of course I do!" responded Belldandy, to which Urd said, (who had just come home,) "Now that would be a frightening sight—you with a first-class unlimited."

"Oh?" snapped back Skuld, all pouty and mad, "What's so scary about that?"

"If you operate with that in the same way you make your gadgets," responded Urd, "The universe had better watch out for disaster."

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" snapped Skuld, now standing up with her Skuld bombs, ready to fight.

"Oh, please," begged Belldandy, "This has been such a great day for Skuld. Please do not spoil it for her."

Skuld then gained a sneer on her face and said, "You're just jealous because I'm going further than you!"

Urd turned angry as electricity sparkled across her fingertips and said, "I have my reasons…little girl!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?" shouted Skuld, but, before it could get going, the door opened and Keiichi said, "Come on, you two: I would like to come home just once and not have to worry about there being a crater."

Belldandy brightened as he came into the kitchen. She gave him a kiss, but he pushed her back a bit saying, "Hey, I'm all greasy! I don't want to mess up your apron before you're finished with dinner."

"Then you need to get to the bath right away," answered Belldandy, "Supper will be ready in an hour."

Such were things in the house now, and it seemed things could not be better. Everyone then retreated to their spaces, with Skuld starting her homework and Urd working on a couple of experiments while watching her favorite shows. However, as everyone was settling in, there were some loud explosions outside, and there was only one reason for that. Banpei must have spotted Mara and opened fire. "Hey, you crazy machine!" followed a familiar shout, "I'm not here to cause trouble! I have to warn everyone!"

Everyone was outside by this point now, and Skuld Rhineed in Banpei as everyone gathered around, along with Ian and Megumi, seeing this now poor and bedraggled demon before them. "I have been sent by Lady Hild," said Mara with much urgency, "There is grave danger on the horizon, and all of you need to know."

"Lady Hild?" asked Megumi with some confusion, and Ian said, "Hey…uh…this is an old acquaintance of theirs," (though it was not exactly a friendship by any stretch,) "I think this is a private a matter."

She still did not yet know about how things really were, Ian still not having told her about everyone's true natures, and this would tell everything before it was time. Yet, Megumi was not that convinced and said, "Hey, if it's good for them, it's good for us."

Keiichi looked at her oddly, but then said, "Hey, that Harley I was given has been acting up a touch."

"Oh, come on, Keiichi," she said, "I told said you can't drive that thing like other bikes! What's wrong with it?"

"The shift is not that smooth," he answered, "I'm not sure about the clutch."

"Can't you fix that?"

"You know more about that kind of bike than I do. I trust you more than I trust myself."

Megumi growled, but because she loved bikes as much as he did, she immediately went to grab her coveralls and tools. Ian mouthed "thank you" to them and went with her, hoping to get the news later. Once that was resolved, Urd then said, "So, what's the fuss?"

"You know what happened to Hagal, right," answered Mara.

"She was sent to the very bottom of the Abyss," answered Belldandy in return, "That is so unfortunate."

"Well, it's not that much better now!" responded Mara with some urgency, "Somehow, Hagal has managed to escape!"

Everyone now just stared at Mara, not sure what to say. Mara took that as a cue to continue, and she said, "What's worse, she is actually going to the surface of the planet Mercury as we speak to go and free Halval!"

The courts in Valhalla had condemned Halval to be sealed away and placed there forever. Urd furrowed her brow and said, "Just how did she get free?"

"No one knows," answered Mara, all worried, "However, we have our guesses. There is only one spirit outside of Hild or the Almighty that could have done it."

"Wait, you do not mean…" Belldandy started to say, but Mara said, "Yes, that's the very one we think."

Skuld started to shiver and hold tight to Belldandy, who was now consoling her, not sure what to think at this point. Keiichi, lost in all of this, said, "Hey, who could make you guys shiver like this?"

"The Destroyer is helping her," said Urd grimly, "Father could stop him, but not before much death, destruction, and pain. You see, there is only one thing he knows: destruction. He would destroy the whole universe if he could, just to satisfy his lust for destruction."

"Oh boy," said, Keiichi, "This does not look good."

"It's not good even for us demons, for even we are threatened!" exclaimed Mara, to which Urd said, "Well, why doesn't Hild Rhine him in?"

"It's not as simple as that!" responded Mara, "We have recording devices everywhere in Niflheim, even in the Pit. It was hard to decipher, but one of the places they are going to head is the Rhine River in Germany!"

That told them all they needed to know. However, Belldandy foresaw worse, and she said, "What about the well?"

Mara just looked at her, as if to say, "You know well what they would do."

It was then they understood that, if she got to any of the things she could get, it would take the combined powers of both Heaven and Niflheim to stop her. Yet, if Hagal got them all… "What do we do?" asked Belldandy.

"There is not much right now," said Mara, "We have some demons on it right now, but I don't know."

"I shall call father," said Belldandy, "Perhaps some of the Valkyrie could help."

"Please do so," said Mara, "Because we need all the help we can get!"

6


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Now What?

Mara had now left just as Megumi came out. She looked at Keiichi going back to the house, and she said, "Oh no you don't! You're coming with me and getting a lesson on this bike!"

Before he could protest, she hooked his arm and dragged him along with her. Meanwhile in the house, Belldandy placed a call to Yggdrasil, and she heard, "Heaven: Yggdrasil switchboard, Chrono speaking, how may I direct your call?"

"Chrono, this is Belldandy," answered Belldandy.

"Oh, hi Belldandy!" came the gleeful cry, "How have you been?"

"I am sorry, but I cannot make this a social call," responded Belldandy, "I am calling with a message from Mara."

There came a sigh from the other side, and she said, "What's that troublemaker been up to now?"

"It is not that," came back Belldandy, "She has just sent us word that Hagal has escaped from the Abyss with the help of the Destroyer."

There was a long pause on the other side, and then Chrono said, "Oh dear! Are you sure Apollyon is in on this one?"

"This is why I called. I wanted to confirm that such a crisis existed."

"Well then, I'll patch you through to your father right away!"

There were the sounds of the transfer, and she heard, "My daughter, it is quite a pleasure to hear from you after all these months. Has Keiichi been keeping you that busy?"

Belldandy blushed a touch, and she said, "I apologize for not calling more often, yet, I am also sorry that this call cannot be more social. I have been given some frightening news."

"Rumors have wafted to me, but tell me what this is, to see if those rumors are true."

"It appears that Hagal has escaped the Abyss with the aid of the Destroyer, and they may be after the Rhinegold, and…well…"

"My eye, I take it? Yes, those would be desirous treasures."

"What would happen if they gained access to this?"

"It would be the end of all existence as we know it. I do not think Hagal realizes the danger she is putting everyone in. However, it would be interesting to see how long the alliance would last. I would have to think Hagal considers Apollyon something or someone she can use for her convenience and cast off when she gets what she wants. She may find it is not that easy. Where is she now?"

"She is heading to the planet Mercury."

"Hmm…you have some time. Apparently, she is going to free Halval to aid her, but we can attempt to stop them from returning to Earth. Then, what needs to happen is that the Rhinegold must be obtained before she can get it. However, be warned: the ring, though it can make the wearer very powerful, it also brings misfortune of whoever wears it. Once found, it must be placed in a sack that shall block off its dangerous traits and never be put on by the one who has it."

"Who shall go? Shall one of us?"

"No, this is more of a job that Ian could handle. There is also a chain mail coif that allows whoever wears, or even just have it in his or her possession, the ability to hear come out of the mouth of whoever speaks what he or she truly means when they speak, and not lies or omissions. That could come in handy for all of you as well. Send Ian, and tell him what needs to be done. In the meantime, I shall dispatch some Valkyrie to aid in the Mercury matter. The rest of you, continue with your lives. All of you have seen too much recently, and if we do not have to involve you, then so much the better. Yet, be ready. After he gets the gold, if they have not already obtained the eye, Ian shall go for that as well."

"Thank you, father, and I hope that Ian does you proud."

"He normally does. Fare thee well, my daughter."

With that, the call ended, and Urd came in asking, "Well, what did he say?"

"He wants to send Ian to fetch the Rhinegold while we have time and then have the rest of us just continue on with our lives."

"Well, that's a relief," Urd answered, "I would sure hate to use vacation time this early to go traipsing off to Germany and go play in some cold river."

"Well, father also said that there needed to be something into which we could place the ring to protect against its curse."

"Hmm…as much as this rattles me, I may have to collaborate with Skuld on this one. I am certain she could come up with something, but it would need a boost, and that is where my potion expertise could come in handy."

"I still do not like sending Ian alone. Though he has become stronger, he still has control issues, and I wish not to see him hurt."

"Hey, he's been dead once already. What are the odds of that happening again?"

"Those are odds against which I wish not to test. Besides, what danger would he be facing?"

"Hagal may already have minions to aid her."

"If so, she works fast."

Urd sighed and said, "Look, if we just go there and back, not stopping off anywhere and staying for anything longer than half a day, I could go and help him, if that would make you feel better."

"Oh, would you, Urd?"

Belldandy hugged her sister, which caught Urd by surprise. He sighed; patted Belldandy's back and said, "You have been very protective of him as of late."

Belldandy frowned a touch and said, "I just do not want to see him put in such risk again. We were so close to losing him."

"He'll be fine. Just let me handle this. I'll get him home safely."

With that, the pair went out to find Ian to tell him what was needed to be done.

At the Auto Club on NIT campus, Chihiro was paying a visit to the old club, demanding that Otaki and Tamiya be there. Both those men were big and tough, but for some reason, they quivered in their boots around this woman, and no one knew quite why they feared her so. The reason for the visit was to ask a favor. Sora Hasegawa was now in charge of the club, much against her better judgment. She had told how everything she had created as a club or event had always fallen through, but this had thus far remained. Even if it had been in trouble, Chihiro would have tried to rescue it. Chihiro came in and said, "Well, good to see the place is still in operation. I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" asked Sora, not even looking up from her work.

"The other club on this campus has caught wind of some kind of inaugural race here in Japan," responded Chihiro, "And Toshiyuki's company is planning on sponsoring a racer out of that club, to represent both the club and the company."

"Okay, and…" answered Sora, looking for more information than that.

Chihiro sighed and said, "If we want to keep this the top club, we also have to enter a racer ourselves. This is a rally style race, but it is being done with a new class of superside motorcycle designed for this kind of race. It shall start at the northern tip of the north island of Japan, and end at the southern tip of the mainland. These two clowns are going to help the club design the bike by the race specs, and then we convince Keiichi and Belldandy to run the race. Since they are both the best around for such a race, because they are both so in sync, we can use them for this. Whirlwind shall also sponsor you, so don't worry about cost. The first thing to do is sign us up."

"But, shouldn't you ask the racers first?" quizzed Sora.

"Oh, don't worry;" she said with a confident smirk, "They'll do it."

Not so sure, she looked up the race that was mentioned, and started the process of getting them into it. At first, she had her misgivings, but perhaps, something good could come out of it. Though Toshiyuki still headed up the rival club, she still had her crush on him. She had heard something about him having gone a touch insane, but that did not matter to her. Perhaps, if her club could win this over his, then maybe, just maybe, he would pay attention to her at last.

Ian was briefed on what was to happen, and they told him that, as soon as the container was complete, they could power travel to the spot and deal with things there. However, as they all sat to dinner, there was the sound of a motorcycle pulling up outside the house. Since Megumi was there, they then had no idea who was coming. Urd sighed and said, "If it's Thor, you don't have enough food here."

Yet, a knock came at the door, and the sound of it sliding as they heard, "Hey, anyone home?"

It was Chihiro, and that caught everyone by surprise. However, as hospitable as Belldandy was, she happily called out, "We are in the kitchen. Please, come in."

The sound of boots being slid off at the entrance was heard, and she marched her way to where they were, slid open the door, and said, "Good, everyone's home!"

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" asked Belldandy, all welcoming.

"This," answered Chihiro as she handed Keiichi the flyer for the race. He looked it over, handed it to Megumi, and said, "Well, this sounds interesting. I wonder how they'll rig the bikes for this."

Megumi then said, "This does look like quite a challenge. So, why are you telling us?"

"You'll all soon have your answers," Chihiro announced, "because I have entered a bike into this, to be built by the Auto Club, sponsored by Whirlwind…"

Everyone was perked up at this announcement, and actually excited they would be connected to this somehow, but they were soon in shock when she said, "…and I have Keiichi and Belldandy as my drivers."

Now they all looked at her as if they were codfish, surprised that she would make such a heady move without consulting them. "Wait, how could you just throw us into this?"

"Shall we not be missed at the shop?" asked Belldandy.

"Nah," answered Chihiro as she waived it off, "Consider this special work for the company considering that I am sponsoring the thing. Besides, I have been told that you two were the best superside racers the school had to offer."

"But, that was on circuit tracks in 12 and 24 lap races," answered Keiichi, "and normally two or three a day. This is a rally format."

"That's right," answered Chihiro, "The race has been laid out on pavement, and the roads have been picked to make sure it is not broken and rough road upon which the bikes could not run. Both the driver and the partner will have SatNav systems to inform you of coming curves, and the bikes will be designed for such roads."

"I'd sure like to see what design we come up with," answered Megumi, considering that she would not have to be the one driving on this. Chihiro then answered, "Well, I was hoping you could help. I brought in Otaki and Tamiya…"

"Those idiots?" cut in Megumi, "The thing is going to end up looking like a Sherman tank."

"Then, that's why I need you to keep them in line," answered Chihiro, "With me to back up your decisions, there should be no problem."

Skuld remained silent, but she began to ponder in that computer of a mind she had just what would be needed for such a vehicle, and she had to make a point to go by the Auto Club and see exactly what they had made. She knew there could be trouble if those two wannabe pro wrestlers got involved, and she wanted to head of disaster for her big sister. She did not trust them. "Well then, come by the Auto Club tomorrow," responded Chihiro, "We need you two to see the course that you are taking and start to become familiar with the route. You can also see the first parts of the planning and learn the rules of the race. This will be on the company dole, so don't worry about lost time. After all, you two will be rolling ads for the company, so we owe you this. Well, see you tomorrow."

Just as swiftly as she had come in, she was out the door without so much as an apology. They just stared at the kitchen door, wondering how she could do this, and why they were in such shock to tell her no. There were bigger fish to fry than this, and they did not need this headache.

On Mercury, Hagal and Apollyon arrived at the spot where Halval had been sealed away, and immediately, they started the unlocking ritual. It was a large mausoleum-style area, marked with many symbols and runes, giving warning of vicious judgment and punishment for whomever it was that broke the seal. However, for Hagal, it really did not matter. When she was through with things, there would be none left to judge or punish her. Hagal focused all her energy and effort into the seal breaking ritual, knowing that, because of the level of seal, it would take a lot of energy to break it. Though it was a vacuum that they were in, because of what they were, it would have no effect on them. The minutes rolled on, and though it seemed as if they would never get through, the ground began to shake, slowly at first, but then more and more as the sound of cracking could be heard on the stone doors that closed off what was essentially a tomb. Before long, the ground was shaking violently, and the structure fractured all around and began to collapse in a heap. With a bright light of raw energy that shot up from the center, slowly arose Halval, as if she had been in a long sleep. She then looked over as her eyes fluttered open, saying, "Lady Hagal…you came for me! I am forever in your debt!"

"Good," Hagal answered, "Then come with Hagal, because there is much to do. There are certain treasures on Earth we must achieve, and once we have them, all will be ours!"

They both laughed evilly, but as they did, Halval could not help but think, "_Then, why didn't you get them before?_" but then thought better of it. She just got free. This was not the way to treat the one that just freed you. Halval then said, "So, where to we go from here?"

"We go to fetch the items," answered Hagal, "The first stop is the place on Earth they call Germany."

"Wait, are you talking about the Rhinegold?" asked Halval.

"Of course," answered Hagal, "We must have that to make our goals happen. If they have not caught on to things yet, then it is ours for the taking. However, Hagal does expect some resistance."

"Then, let us be off," interjected Apollyon, "I do not think the Almighty will sit back for long."

"Who is that?" asked Halval.

"Our ticket to success," answered Hagal, "They will not know what hit them!"

In Niflheim, things were no better. Hild was fuming. She had always had Apollyon under her thumb, knowing that he was a loose cannon that needed to be watched. She blinked for one moment, and he gets delusions of grandeur. It was obvious they had to be stopped, but what it called for was the last thing she wanted. Yet, she may have no choice. Her daughter may have paid her back for the favor over a year before, but she actually owed everyone else, and she needed to even the odds. By this point, Mara had returned, and now took a knee before her mistress, saying, "Mission fulfilled as ordered, milady."

"Well, it certainly looks like you forgot about Banpei again," Hild said with a smirk.

"Hey, I keep trying to get there when he's recharging, but I can never get the timing right!"

"Well then, that means Yggdrasil is in motion on this. I am not certain we would have to intervene, but it depends on what happens. It is frightening, but it may be that, because we have a mutual foe, it shall force us to join forces with Heaven to address the threat. What do they have planned?"

"The earth hero is off with your daughter to try to secure the Rhinegold."

"Good…I figured his father would send him on a detail like that, though I question why my daughter would have to go."

"She volunteered, milady. I think she rather gets a mothering instinct with him, more than even Belldandy. I think she thinks he's not trained enough to take on anything big yet."

"I don't see why she worries, considering that, from what my avatar told me, he did well in the battle not months ago."

"I just think she's bored."

"Well, if she's anything like me, I must say that she does think like me from time to time. I cannot say that I blame her. Nonetheless, I shall send my avatar to watch how things go. If it gets sticky, we'll move in. I just hope no one is foolish enough to put on the ring."

"Let us hope so, milady…that thing is bad news."

"It cost another hero his life centuries before, and almost cost Brunhilde as well. I am thinking about the eye, and fetching it myself. We'll have to see about that."

"That thing corrupts!"

"True, but, if we kept it protected and hidden in the last place they would look—where they came from—then there could be a chance they could be stopped easier. It's all too early to tell. We must be patient."

"What are my orders now?"

"My minions tell me they are planning to participate in some kind of a race."

"Oh, so you want me to sabotage it?"

"No, idiot! I want you help them."

"Oh right a…wait…you can't be serious!"

"I am very serious! I shall send my avatar before sending her to Germany to prepare them. You don't want to get shot again, do you?"

"But…but I am supposed to bring misfortune!"

"If you don't suffering misfortune is what you will face, and it may well be the least of your worries!"

Mara sighed heavily, knowing that it was going to be hard for her, not just to be…_helpful_…but that, well, Belldandy was so disarming. She could convert a demon into a goddess before the demon realized what was happening. She loved her job, and she was afraid of what might happen to her with them, and what might rub off. Mara nodded and said, "I'm on my way, milady," and she went her way, whimpering at the job she now had to do. All Hild could think now was, "_Well, I guess the old saying is true: necessity is the mother of strange bedfellows!"_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Down by the Lazy River

Skuld had just finished her containment box right before Urd and Ian left, proud of her newest creation. Urd had her misgivings, but, considering she had been improving more and more in her skills and magic combined, she was not as unsure as she had been in times past. Considering that the fastest mode of travel was through certain medium, they would have to come out in an urban area near where they were to contact the Rhine Maidens and gain what they needed to prevent Hagal and her crew from gaining what they could to crack the whole universe into five easy pieces. They were going to go to a stretch of the river that sat somewhere between Mannheim and Strasbourg. Thus, Ian was to emerge somewhere outside the city of Mannheim, and Urd was to emerge from somewhere near the edge of the city in some place with some kind of monitor or television, preferably at an electronics shop where she could slip in and mingle with the crowd and not be noticed. Ian took off his inhibitors and found a good boulder through which he could work. Ian emerged outside the city in a wooded area and awaited Urd, unaware that Chibi Hild was watching his every move.

Urd indeed found her way into an electronics shop. She stuck her head through a flat screen looked around to be certain that no one was watching, and popped out. Unfortunately, there was one set of eyes, and they belonged to a small boy, who exclaimed, "_Ohh…eine schunes frauline hast vom der monitor gekomt!_" which, translated, means, "Ohh, a pretty lady came out of the monitor!"

Urd gulped, but she was all the way out when her mother wheeled around to see her son trying to get close to the pretty woman, and she was now quickly apologizing in German for the child bothering her. Being a goddess, her mastery of all world languages was second nature, and so she responded in kind, saying that it was okay, and she patted the boy on the head and took her leave. Once outside the shop, she breathed a sigh of relief that things had not gotten crazy, and she found a secluded place to take off and fly to where Ian was. Already, this was turning out to be an interesting trip.

Once airborne, she covered ground quickly and easily spotted Ian by the riverbank. She signaled him to join her, and thus he did very quickly. Urd then said, "Just follow me and try to detect a magic surge somewhere in the river."

"Um…I haven't learned that one yet," he said.

"What?" she exclaimed, "That should have been one of the first things they taught you during that week you were in heaven."

"They said the curriculum was different for demigods. They said that I would get that one from Lind once she was able to come back and continue my earth training."

Urd shook her head, wondering why things had to be so confusing as far as that kind of thing went. Yet, as they flew she stared a few moments at Ian, and he said, "Okay, what's on your mind?"

"There are times I envy you," she answered with a smirk.

"Why is that?"

"Well, think about it: the reason for seals and inhibitors are different for you. We goddess, and even the demons, have to have some kind of limitations on themselves, because we all wield certain amounts of power—even at my level of second class—that would be too much for the earth to handle."

"Why do the demons to that? I would not think they would care too much about that."

"They do cause misfortune, that's true. Yet, even then, when they do it, they want to be subtle. Remember when you saw Hild Prime for the first time last fall?"

"Heh…like I could forget that!"

"Did you see all the things she was wearing as far as jewelry?"

"Sure, I saw that. I just thought it was something to do with her position as a ruler, or to mark her as a ruler…or something like that."

"Not exactly…I am surprised you didn't notice the amount of things father wore when he came to see you personally and lay on you your purpose in life."

"Well…come to think of it, he did seem to have much on in the way of armor."

"Those were seals and inhibitors."

"Okay…but, where are you going with this?"

"Well, to remove certain things like seals and inhibitors, we need permission, and it has to be for a very good reason. You can take them off as the need calls for it, whenever you want. It doesn't seem fair, really."

"Father and Hild both told me that it was so I could cope with the common folk, because if I was let loose without these things in and on my ears, I would have trouble controlling what I can do…well…at least right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, they told me that I could come to control my abilities completely at some point, and indeed I would have to. They said that there would come a point where my development as a demigod would come to a point where my power would spill somewhat over the inhibitors, and then the need for them would be almost the same as for anyone of our kind. They even said that it could be that what I can do without them now would be commonplace with them, but they weren't entirely sure about all that yet."

"Why not?"

"They said a hero never lived long enough to find out. It had something to do with overconfidence and leaving themselves open for attack at some kind of weakness or another. I took the warning to heart after what happened last fall…well…you know."

"Thus, you have a long way to go yet?"

"I guess that's what they meant."

She smiled at him, and she said, "I'll help you all I can. I am your sister now after all, and besides, I may not seem to be skilled to some, but there is much I can do and show you."

Ian smiled back, and he said, "You really do have Belldandy's heart, don't you?"

"I'm a goddess. What else would I have?"

"Well, according to Skuld…"

"Don't believe a thing the little brat says! She's always causing trouble for me and…"

Ian was now laughing, saying, "Yep, she was right: that does get your goat."

"Why you…!" and she started to wrestle with him a touch, giving him a knuckle to the gut for his troubles. With that, she focused her mind and powers on locating where the Rhine Maidens were.

It was now early summer in Germany, and if one has ever wanted to get a feel for what virgin forest looked like, one should go to Germany at that time of year. The forest was green and fresh; the smell of pine cast a pleasant atmosphere over the wilderness, causing one to feel refreshed as they walked through the dew-covered trails, catching sight of the various flora and fauna that such a wilderness possesses. If they were lucky, they might get the chance to hear the lilting song of the lark as she sits in a leafy green Linden tree, or catch a glimpse of a stag as he bounds across the trail. It was in this place by the river, teeming with singing birds and alive with various kinds of animals, which Urd and Ian now waked. Urd inhaled and smiled, saying, "Germany is always beautiful this time of year. I could just lie in the brush and drink the whole thing in."

"Truth is, this is the first time I've ever been in Europe," responded Ian.

Urd looked at him with curious eyebrows and said, "Well, we need to get you out more. You have access to the whole planet now with ease. You should take Megumi with you and show her the world."

"Um…I am not certain when to lay things on her…you know…about who we are, what I am, that kind of thing."

"She's going to have to know sooner or later. If things keep going between Keiichi and Belldandy, then your promise of a niece or nephew to Skuld may come true. Besides, if you keep getting as close as I suspect you two have gotten, she's going to have to know."

"Well, how do you tell someone that? I mean do I just say, 'Hi, babe: work was great, and hockey practice was awesome. I'm a demigod, by the way. What's for dinner? Did you have a good day?'"

Urd laughed and said, "You haven't lied, have you? I mean, you are not restricted with a second-class license, but I know you don't out of personal principle."

"No, but that does not mean that I've told her everything."

"Well, I'll tell you: it's better she learns from you in a good setting rather than her finding out the hard way."

"Well, let's stay focused. How far do we have to go?"

"Hmm…I'm not sure… Wait! Right there…that's where the treasure is! I thought I saw father's maps right. He made sure to give the maidens the treasure after the Siegfried incident, and to secure the information so that none may ever know where the things were."

"Wait…how did you come to see those maps?"

Urd shuddered, stammered, and said, "Uh…that's not important right now. We have to stay focused, like you said, right?"

Yet, before they could get further, or ever try to head into the water, three blue colored and incredibly beautiful faces emerged from the water, yet, they did not look in the greatest of moods. Flosshilde said, "Okay, Urd…why you here and what are are you up to!"

Woglinde added, "Don't trust her, sister! She only means trouble!"

Wellgunde then said, "Hey, she's a goddess: she can't be that bad."

Flosshilde then said, "Take a good look at Loki and ask that question again!"

Urd was getting miffed at the dissing she was now receiving at creatures she coldly regarded as minor water sprites. However, she was quickly forgotten when the three spotted Ian and came up further out of the water, saying in concert, "Heeeeeeeeey…who's the hottie?"

Ian, seeing their state of dress—or lack thereof—turned red and turned around. Wellgunde smirked and said, "Uh oh…I bet he's a virgin!"

Urd rolled her eyes, not certain if that was true. Neither he nor Megumi let on how far their relationship had gone, yet, she had not pried either, but she had to suspect he had seen Megumi in a state of undress at some point. She then wondered why the prudish behavior all of a sudden. Woglinde then said, "Hey, cutie: would you like to have a swim with us," being very seductive in the process. Ian began to feel some kind of an irresistible pull, and started to head to the water. At first, Urd was moving to try to stop it. She then stopped, remembering that he could survive underwater without the inhibitors. Because of what he was, he could actually extract the oxygen out of the water much like a fish. It was not such that they were trying to drown him like a siren, but it was that, she knew these maidens were too dense to remember that land dwellers don't do so good underwater. They keep complaining to heaven about "breaking their toys." They were in for a surprise.

Before Ian knew it, he was in the water, and the maidens had him fast, insuring the current did not sweep him away. In the meantime, he was in seeming ecstasy as the girls were all over him, kissing, and fondling him. Soon, they forgot themselves as they normally did and started to take him down under the water. Ian, at first, came to his senses when he felt what was going on, and began to panic a bit. However, he was quickly shocked when he found that he was breathing normally, and feeling rather at peace. The maidens all said together, "He didn't break!"

They were fast on him again, as Flosshilde said, "Oh dear: those clothes must be so cumbersome. Let me help you off with them."

Now that Ian had gotten back his senses, he started to resist, saying, "Hey, I have a girl back home…" but Woglinde smiled as she put a finger on his lips and said, "Oh pish-posh on that…what is it that some mere mortal girl could have over us?"

"A girl that would try to kill me in my sleep if she found out I had cheated!" answered Ian firmly.

However, before the maidens could get any further, Urd arrived and gave them all a low-voltage jolt. The maidens all squealed, (and Ian didn't feel all that good himself from it,) as Urd said, "Ladies, we are here on business."

Wellgunde was then pouting, saying, "You have no idea how rare it is to have a mortal like him that doesn't break when you bring him home!"

Urd chuckled and said, "If he were entirely mortal, I might let it go and let him have the time of his life. However, examine his face, girls."

The stopped, looked at his face, and recognized the markings. Flosshilde then said, "You're a god?"

"Not quite," answered Ian, "But my dad is one."

Woglinde then said, "Ooh…a demigod! That makes him even sexier!"

She started to move in, and Urd got between them, saying, "Ladies—and I do use that term loosely—there is danger and trouble afoot, and we came here both to warn you and help you."

Wellgunde then asked, "What danger could we be in?"

After some explanation, Urd then said, "So, you see, they are coming after the ring and the coif. What we wish to do is to take both and conceal them."

All three said, "Not on your life!"

Urd groaned as Flosshilde said, "The Almighty gave specific orders to protect the Rhinegold from ever being taken again…_especially_ those two items!"

"Ugh…it's not like we're trying to steal it," thundered Urd, "nor is it that we are trying to corrupt anything! You see this box?"

She showed them the box, knowing that Skuld had said it was waterproof. The maidens all looked at it, looked at Urd, and had a look that seemed to say, "So what?"

"Look," answered Ian, "My little sister Skuld…"

"Wait…did you say Skuld?" asked Woglinde, "She's your sister? That means that your father is…"

"…the one and only," responded Ian, finishing her statement. Wellgunde then said, "Well that changes things! Come with me, and…"

Flosshilde cut her off and said, "Not so fast, sister! We need credentials!"

Urd, remembering that Flosshilde seemed to have some kind of leadership about her, said to her, "Okay…Ian, show her the license."

They both pulled out their licenses, and the maidens examined them thoroughly. They seemed legitimate enough, but then Woglinde began to try to stifle a laugh and said, "Typical!"

Wellgunde caught on the humor, and she said, "That's just like the almighty one to send those like you for such petty tasks!"

In other words, because they both held second-class licenses, they were being sent to do a servant's work. Ian did not quite catch it, but Urd caught the insult full on. She then said, "Hey, this is a matter of keeping the universe intact! It doesn't matter who fetches the things, just so long as they don't end up in the wrong hands!"

Flosshilde, still trying to keep it together said, "Okay, so what does the box do?"

"It will keep the powers of the ring that cause misfortune from affecting whomever possesses it," answered Ian, to which Flosshilde said, "Well, because it's a hottie like you, I guess we can let the things go."

With that, she led them to the stash.

The soon found themselves in a cave, and before long, they came to a pile of treasure beyond the imagination of many mortals, and Ian said, "Why is all this stuff forged gold?"

"It was raw gold," answered Woglinde, "But because of the whole thing caused by Aldrich the dwarf stealing it, it was forged, and all kinds of trouble started."

"Wait," interjected Ian, "Are you telling me that the legends are true?"

"Hardly," said Wellgunde, "Much of that was just bad press, making things worse than what they were."

"I'd say so," said Urd, "Father gets a small crack in his spear, and a fire happens in a wastebasket in the corner office of Valhalla, and they act like the whole place burned to the ground or something."

They soon came to the place where the ring and the coif were held. "Some tried to turn this thing into a helmet," said Flosshilde, "but as you can see, it is not. This thing is relatively safe, and whoever holds it will be able to hear the truth in their head from someone, no matter what you hear from their mouths."

She gave it to Ian, and then she took the box, flipped the ring into it, and then closed it. Flosshilde then handed it back to Urd and said, "No matter what you do, do not open this box, or you'll be asking for trouble!"

She nodded, looked at Ian, and said, "Well, it's time to go."

"Aww…" moped Woglinde, "Why not stay just for a little while longer. We could have so much fun, Ian."

Urd knew what she wanted, and she said, "This is not to be an x-rated mission, okay? We have things to do."

"Who said that?" answered Flosshilde, "We'd never think of compromising his virtues, but just have some fun."

However, she must have already forgotten to whom she gave the coif, because he heard, "We just want to strap him down and boff his brains out for all eternity."

Ian went wide-eyed, and just played it off, saying, "Well, I wish we had time, but, maybe when we return these things after it's all over?"

He indeed looked like he wanted to get out of there in a hurry, and Urd took the hint, saying, "Well, maybe your idea of 'fun' is beyond what he wishes right now, but maybe. Ta-ta, ladies."

With that, the quickly extracted themselves and headed back to Mannheim. The three maidens just stood their pouting as Wellgunde said, "We never get to have fun! Just when we find a man that doesn't break when you bring him home, he gets snatched away!"

Still, Flosshilde seemed lost in thought, and she said, "Still, I hope they are as strong as they appear, or else the release of those things could mean great disaster!"

Ian had used his abilities to turn all the water in their soaked clothes into vapor, and he looked at Urd, asking, "Well, that was easy enough. Why did you come?"

"First, you had no idea where they would be," answered Urd, "Second, you saw how they reacted to you. There's no telling how that would have gone down if you had been alone."

"True," he had to admit, "But, you made it sound like we would be attacked."

"That may yet happen," said another voice out of nowhere. Yet it was a voice with which they were well familiar. They turn around to locate the voice and found Chibi Hild standing in a tree, watching the proceedings. She then said, "You have that now, and expect the worst in it. You may have sealed off the misfortune factor, but that does not mean you two will not be a target."

Urd got ready for the fight and asked, "Are you the threat?"

Chibi Hild laughed and said, "Hardly…but know you may not get out of Germany without a fight."

As soon as she said that, there were about 20 demons still loyal to Hagal that came out of the brush. Urd then said, "You were looking for a fight? I'd say you found one."

"I take it back!"

5


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: What Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men…

Back in Japan, the Auto Club was meeting along with alumni and others involved with the rally. They were going over what the bike would require, and what the rules said they could use. Indeed, because the course was going over somewhat good roads, they could design accordingly, yet, they still had to design it so that it could negotiate the unexpected. The tires would have to be treaded, and the SatNav would have to be top notch: there could be no break in service. Chihiro was supervising, overlooking Tamiya and Otaki as they worked out the details of the design, becoming quite the taskmaster. She wanted to be sure that her best two workers were not going to be risking their lives because of the design of these two. However, the bickering back and forth was slowing progress, and it became obvious that a committee was doing things. Yet, by this time, school had let out, which meant Skuld and Sentaro would be coming by before long. Many in the auto club knew that she had what it took to put things like this together, and they could not wait to see what she thought. Indeed, she came in, humming a song, hand in hand with Sentaro, and gave a warm greeting. Everyone responded in kind, and then she saw the drawing board. Without even asking, or being asked, she went right up to the design, looked it over once, and she said, "This is awful!"

Tamiya, trying to maintain the macho image that he always seemed to put forth, stood up and addressed this, his pride very much hurt. "Hey, little girl!" he snapped, "We labored over this all day, and we have the engineering degrees! How can you say that this is awful! You'd better have a good explanation for that!"

Skuld stood up on a stool and got into his face, not even scared of his "tough guy" approach. She yelled, "I'm not little…and just because you have a piece of paper does not mean that you have anything!"

She snapped around to the design, plopped down, and started to go over the figures. Within two minutes, she caught at least 32 design flaws, and she pointed out each one as she went. "See, what did I tell you?" she scolded, "They would have gone down the road about 100 feet and the bike would have rattled apart! I won't let you hurt my big sister like that!"

Tamiya and Otaki were now turning red, knowing that Chihiro had pointed out some of those things herself, but they had ignored her. She continued, trying to find all the flaws, and then she began to reconfigure every thing. She flipped over a fresh page of design paper and started to move like a girl possessed. Though she had a calculator, she was doing most of it in her head, and made sure to design the bike that balanced out the best in aerodynamics, ruggedness, lightness, and high horse power engine within the rules of the rally. Within fifteen minutes, she hopped off the stool, ginning ear to ear, and saying, "Done! Not a bad job if I do say so myself!"

She was beaming with pride over the work, knowing that this would be the best bike in the rally, and knowing the work that would come to life under her guidance would have a spirit of winning deep down inside it. Sentaro came up, said, "Skuld, you're fantastic as always!", and kissed her on the cheek. She turned beat red as everyone said, "Aww…" to the sight. She hemmed and hawed, not sure how to answer, and she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Sentaro, "You are so dead later!"

Of course, he knew she didn't mean it, or else he never would have done that to start. Chihiro was going over the design, and she said, "This is incredible! Why are you in middle school? You should be teaching physics here!"

After looking them over some more, she said to Skuld, "Then, if that's the case, I want you to supervise the building of the bike."

Skuld now looked smug, knowing that she would have it no other way. However, when Keiichi looked it over, though it was a good design, there was one thing that was clear: it was designed to give Belldandy the most comfort on the bike. Though he knew the days of Skuld's restrictions were over, there were times he wondered if she still held a grudge against him. Belldandy was all smiles over her sister, and she said, "You are such a good little worker! There are times I would be lost in the shop if it were not for you!"

This caused Skuld to glomp her sister and a tight bear hug, and Chihiro said, "I think some ice cream is in order!"

Skuld squealed in delight as they all headed out for the local parlor, and Keiichi could not help but to get a sly look on his face, knowing that Skuld was milking every moment of this.

Hagal and company were nearing earth, thinking they were going to dive right into things when they were met by Lind and her company of Valkyrie. She soon found an axe pointed at her face as Lind said, "You are to cease and desist this minute! You are all under arrest."

Hagal was prepared for a fight, but Apollyon merely laughed at the suggestion and said, "You are a fool! Do you really think you can match forces with me even now?"

Lind was not sure, but before she could try to calculate her next move, Apollyon waved his hand, and instantly all their weapons disintegrated. They floated there before them dumbfounded, and Lind was at a loss as to what to do next. She started to put in a call for the entire force when Halval then said, "How about a little darkness, scarecrow?"

In the blink of an eye, they could see nothing in the perfect darkness that was created, and Halval let loose with a sonic attack as Hagal created a temporary air bubble through which the sound could travel. The soldiers all screamed in pain as the group they confronted slipped by. Before they could regain their faculties, and as the darkness lifted, Hagal and company were long gone. Lind was furious, knowing that she had been so easily defeated, and knowing that it just may take the entire host to stop this.

Outside Mannheim, Urd and Ian had their own problems. They both postured for a fight while Chibi Hild concealed herself, but one of the demons said, "Hey, chill out! Hild sent us to help you!"

However, because it was still in possession, Ian heard, "We just want those things and to dine on your entrails!"

Thus, Ian answered, "What is it that makes me not believe you?"

The one that spoke looked like he was trying to be kind and said, "Hey we both have the same foe. She wants Hagal stopped as much as you do."

That came through as true, but then he said, "However, the best place to hide those things is in the last place she would look for it. Don't you get it?"

Yet, Ian heard, "The best thing to do is give it over and let Hagal have her way. You're gonna get it!"

Ian did not want to let on that he was hearing the truth, and he said, "So, why so many to do this?"

The demon answered, "Hey, there's safety in numbers! Who knows what we'll encounter."

What Ian heard was, "Hey, we need the numbers! You two were the last we wanted to encounter."

Urd could not hear this, but she began to read Ian's aura, and it was that of complete mistrust. Urd then said, "Well, how about we just keep these things and fry you where you stand!"

Electricity danced on her fingers, and as the lead demon said, "Hey…wait…" a bolt shot through the group, putting most out on their fannies. Ian hooked the coif onto his belt and started to add as much moisture to the ground as he could. The remaining demons assessed the situation and realized that the gig was up. They started to charge forward, but become stuck in the quagmire. Urd was about to strike, but then stopped as she watched these boneheads start to struggle. Ian added just a touch more moisture, and before they knew it, they had all sunk to their waists. Some started to shout, "Hey, that's dirty pool! Don't you believe in a fair fight?"

"You didn't seem so concerned," answered Urd, "Seeing it was just the two of us and all of you."

They were fighting the mud, but they were fighting incorrectly and were going in deeper. At that, Ian removed all the moisture, and they were all stuck up to their solar plexus. However, those who had the magic abilities began to charge them, and Urd said, "Um…that's our cue, bro…let's get out of here."

With that, they both beat a hasty retreat amidst all the cries of foul that they heard, and a few parting shots. As they flew away, Urd said, "They must be Hagal's low-level cronies…fairly useless. You should have just let them sink, because I think that would be more merciful than what Hagal will do to them once she finds them, if they don't free themselves first."

"Do you think they'd show up in Chiba City?" asked Ian.

"Well, they could, so I'll have Skuld set up Banpei for defense against them. They won't get within 100 meters of the temple!"

"I hope that going after us is all they do."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no telling what they could do. They could try to hurt common people and…"

"Mother would stop that. Causing misfortune is a demon's job, but what they could cause would be out of bounds on how it is done. I wouldn't worry about that. Now, let's stop off at the spring fest in town. It's been a while since I've been to one."

"Uh…don't you think we have to get these back right away?"

"Don't fuss. You'll enjoy this…I guarantee it. Have a little fun once and a while."

He just sighed and shook his head, figuring it was best to let her have her way, and he just hoped that it would not lead to any trouble. He knew the ring was changed, but he also knew that Urd could be a weirdness magnet: with her around, anything could happen.

At the ice cream parlor, Skuld was gorging herself, as almost everyone had a hard time resisting the urge in giving her all she wanted. Tamiya and Otaki were sitting in their own booth crying into their banana splits, feeling hurt that they had been outdone by a small child. Chihiro did not help matters much as she mildly scolded them for not being able to design a proper rally superside better than a child could, though inwardly, Chihiro knew well about Skuld's genius. Belldandy and Keiichi sat at their own booth as they looked over the schematics. Keiichi said, "Well, I have to hand it to Skuld again. This is the perfect bike! I mean, it's built like a tank, with incredible suspension, and yet it's light enough for racing."

"I could say that her goddess powers are developing nicely," answered Belldandy, looking over her sister's work and admiring it, "Ever since she received her first class, and ended up in the same kind of a contract we have, there has been no stop to her development."

Keiichi looked up at her, smiling, saying, "Yes, it has been better, hasn't it?"

They leaned across the table as the touched foreheads and slowly approached one another's lips when they heard, very sprightly, "So…what do you think, big sister!"

That jolted them back to reality as Skuld managed to shove Keiichi further down the seat so she could sit. It was now not so much that she was trying to keep them apart as it was that she still wanted to spend as much time with her big sister as she could. Thus, her interference was now more of just being a pest than a chaperone. Belldandy said, "This is the perfect bike! I cannot wait to see it assembled!"

"Really?" she said, all bright-eyed, "We'll get working on it right away."

She then looked cross at Keiichi and said, "You'd better not let anything happen to her while you race!"

He laughed and said, "Okay, okay…message received."

"Hey, Skuld…I thought you we were going to play some chess!" Sentaro called across the room, "The board's all set!"

"Okay, give me a minute!" she mildly protested, and she sighed, saying, "A goddess' work is never done, I guess."

Belldandy gave her that look and grin, saying, "You'd do it, even if that contract had not been made!"

She turned red, looked down, and said, "Well…uh…um…I guess I'd better be going!"

With that, she quickly moved to where Sentaro was. Both Keiichi and Belldandy watched her leave, and then began to laugh. Keiichi then said, "You know, with all that's going on…you know…with what we were told about your father, the eye…do you think we…"

She reached across, put a finger on his lips, and said, "The best thing for us to do is go on with things and handle it as it comes. If we put too much focus on things like this, we shall never have any peace. Let us just focus on the rally."

"Are you up for it?"

"We have rallied before. I know we can. As long as we are together, nothing could stop us."

With that, they kissed, and someone across the room shouted, "Hey, you two: get a hotel room or something!"

They both turned red now that they had become the center of attention, and it put the two of them at peace knowing that such a great group of friends would be there to support them.

Once back on earth, Hagal looked at Halval and said, "Now, the two of us are going for the eye. In the meantime, we have to find out how the Norns operate and function. Take this."

She handed Halval what looked like a packet of herbs. Hagal then said, "Slip this in with the tea at their house. Belldandy shall be immune to this, but Keiichi will end up in a temporary coma. If Hagal suspects correctly, Belldandy shall try to enter Keiichi's mind and try to affect a recovery. They all could try, and this would be better, because by that time Hagal shall have the eye, and Hagal shall be watching what they do in his mind. Before long, Hagal shall know how they operate, and then Hagal shall act before they can even think of it themselves."

Halval nodded and took the packet. She said, "Consider it done, milady! May success follow you."

With that, she was gone, and Apollyon then said, "Now, let us fetch that eye. The key to all control stands in that eye. Without it, the other two items shall mean nothing, and bring nothing but misfortune for us."

Halval headed for the temple, but she also knew that annoying robot would be looking for her. Even if she cast her complete darkness over the place, she knew the thing had sonar, radar, and the ability to see in the non-light scale of the spectrum. She would have to take some drastic measures. As she approached the temple, she watched as the robot was fawning over his precious Sigel, and she figured that she might be able to respond to that. As she moved in, Sigel was, as normal, mildly annoyed by the attention Banpei was giving her, and she said, "Banpei, I am trying to get the chores done! Don't you have some to do as well?"

However, Banpei was trying to take the load of clothes from her, and she said, "Please, I can handle it!"

She never like how he doted over her, but at the same time, rather liked the fact that something cared that much about her, especially after how some humans treated her like so much rubbish before Skuld got a hold of her. The Three Ninjas stood before them and said, "Hey, Banpei, you can't ignore your duties to our mistress! She shall be very disappointed if things have not been completed by the time they all come back."

However, just as this was said, Kodama suddenly became attentive as to the approach of something. She did not like the feel, and she said, "Trouble approaches! Ninjas…to your stations!"

The three dispersed to their defensive positions, and just as they did, the area was flooded with darkness. Sigel looked around, lost as to the reason why not even one photon was penetrating, and that would be the last thought she would calculate for that day. A sudden and sharp sonic attack struck her and smashed her apart, separating her head and limbs from her torso. Banpei was using his skills to try to detect the target, but then turned his attention, in horror, towards Sigel. If he could have, he would have screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!" but his immediate rush to her side made up for the lack of speech. With Banpei compromised, Halval moved into the house and into the kitchen. She quickly found the tea, emptied the packet into it, and started to leave. That was when she felt sharp and stinging pains in her arm, shoulder, and calf. It was the Three Ninjas, who, considering their training, were striking hard. They were using their miniature weapons and stabbing her. Though they really could not strike a fatal blow, they still _hurt_! She started flailing around, not realizing just how diminutive her attackers were, and screaming, "How could you attack me like this."

A voice was heard in her ear, saying, "Ninjas are shadow warriors. We don't need light to act!"

"_Ninjas?_" thought Halval, "_You have got to be kidding!_"

She started to use her sonar skill to find her targets, and suddenly she realized just how small they were. With haste, she snatched them off and threw them off her. Yet, they landed on their feet, and before she could attack herself, they had already moved and were now starting to throw lanyards at her hands and feet. Moving quickly, the ninjas were taking her off her feet and starting to bind her to the floorboards in front of the house. At that instant, Halval began to realize how Gulliver must have felt when he awoke to find himself similarly bound by the Lilliputians while he had slept on their shores. Hikari then said, "When our mistress gets home, you are in for a world of hurt!"

Nozomi then added, "When Mistress Urd returns, she will most certainly have a devilish punishment for the likes of you!" to which Kodama added, "That is, if there is anything left of you after Skuld gets done with you for what you did to Sigel!"

However, Halval was not Gulliver, and she had a few of her own tricks. Tapping into the strength of the earth, she snarled, "I shall not be taken that easily!"

The power entered her muscles, and she broke away the floorboards as she took off, flying swiftly from the temple. The darkness lifted, and there was a sense of dread to the sight of the broken boards, and the sight of Banpei holding the pieces of Sigel and mourning the seeming death of his beloved.

Not too long after, Belldandy, Skuld, and Keiichi all returned to the temple to find things were not right. They were met at the entrance by Banpei, holding up the pieces of Sigel to Skuld, and if he could have, his face would be streaming tears. "SIGEL!" screamed Skuld, "Oh no…what happened to you!"

She quickly snatched up the pieces and headed for her room, Banpei in tow, beeping all the way. "Oh…poor, poor Sigel," she said, and then said to Banpei, "Don't worry: I'll get her fixed. Don't you worry one bit! Then I'm going to skin alive whoever did this!"

She was in too much of a hurry to see the other sight out front. Keiichi could not understand the huge hole in the floor, and then saw the Three Ninjas now all dressed in white kimonos, kneeling, and all holding Japanese daggers appropriate for their size. They saw Belldandy, bowed themselves, and Kodama said, "Mistress, we have failed keep captive of the attacker that came here today."

Hikari added, "We have dishonored you and your household."

Nozomi furthered this as she added, "We are no longer fit to live or serve you."

They then all unsheathed the daggers and prepared to perform Seppuku before their mistress, but she gasped, "No, do not do this!"

With that, the daggers all lifted out of their hands and flew out of sight. She then said, "This is not necessary. Once Sigel is fixed, we can gather an explanation over what happened. It is not your fault, dear friends, I forgive you."

Kodama then said, "Mistress, if she did anything in the house that end up hurting you, we could not live with ourselves."

Keiichi took a guess as to what may have happened, and he said, "Hey, if it was something supernatural, there may have been nothing anyone could have done. It's okay: besides this small damage, it seems nothing was taken or disturbed. We'll find out later what happened, so don't kick yourselves. We all make mistakes."

Hikari looked at the other two and said, "See, I told you it wasn't all that bad!"

"Well, we did fail to capture her," Nozomi answered, and they all started to bicker over why they had gone to such an extreme.

Once in the house, general banter between the two started over the upcoming race and over Skuld's growth, and that was when she began the tea. Before long, the pot was ready, and she poured out. They clinked cups, and they began to drink. However, the pair detected the slightly different taste to the tea, and Keiichi said, "Say, did you switch blends?"

"Oh no," answered Belldandy as she went to look at the package from which she had poured the tea into the porcelain jar which now held it, "It seems it is the same. I know how much you like this blend, and I never would have switched it unless you…" and that was when she heard the thud behind her. She swung around to see Keiichi out on the floor, tea spilled out beside him. She screamed and immediately went to his aid. She saw his aura was still strong, so he was still alive, but he was out cold. She screamed, which quickly brought everyone that could to the kitchen to see this sight, and left all wondering just how bad things really were.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Stolen Dreams

All Keiichi knew at this point was that he literally did not know which end was up. It was dark, he was swirling, moving through the void in a seemingly aimless manner. The next thing he saw was swirling colors that whirl pooled all around him incoherently, but then the swirling started to come together and shape itself. Before long, Keiichi found himself in his dorm room from his first year of school, just as it had been that night he met Belldandy. He looked at the time, and it was five minutes to eight. He felt himself, the floor, the table before him, and it all seemed real enough, right down to the smell of three-day-old laundry and an empty Styrofoam bowl of ramen that somehow got lost. He checked the calendar, and indeed, it was that day. It was also dead quiet, just as it had been that night. It was too real for him, and he wanted to think that this was a dream. Yet, his dreams had never been that vivid before. Because it was so real, now he was beginning to wonder if the past few years had been just as vivid a dream. If so, then, what was real, and what was fantasy. Nothing was making sense. However, there was the urge to make the phone call for his friend, and if this was reality, he had promised to make the call. Thus, he picked up the phone, and he heard a scruffy voice on the other end that said, "Hello, this is the Goddess Help Line!"

It was scruffy, but somehow familiar. However, this time, instead of asking questions and awaiting the one on the other end responding, he hung up the phone without another thought. He breathed a sigh, and thought, "_If all of that was a dream, and this is real, I'm going to just hang up before something worse happens…because that certainly was NOT Belldandy._"

He then picked up the phone to attempt the call again, but he heard, "Naughty, naughty…that was rude to hang up like that. I shall be there shortly for some personal service!"

"Oh great!" he muttered, "This HAS to be a dream. If that was the voice I think it is, it sounds so weird so sugary-sweet!"

The goddess arrived, but not through the mirror. Instead, this time, Mara emerged in her normal way! "_Mara?_" thought Keiichi, "_Now I KNOW I'm dreaming!_"

It was Mara, no question, except that her face was marked like a goddess, and her clothes, though the same were more brightly colored. She said, "Greetings, Mr. Keiichi Morisato: today is your great day of fortune."

Belldandy was frantic, wondering what to do, but Skuld had Keiichi wearing a monitoring helmet that was hooked to the television, and it was detecting massive alpha wave activity. However, there was a brief interruption in things as something was emerging through the screen. Out came Urd _and_ Ian, as Urd used her abilities to drag Ian with her through her method of travel. What struck everyone as odd was how the two were dressed. Urd was wearing a saucy barmaid outfit, while Ian was wearing a white flowing shirt, German hat, and lederhosen, complete with the hiking boots. Both smelled of beer and bratwurst, and they were both carrying authentic German steins, singing some kind of beer hall song. Ian looked buzzed but otherwise coherent, but Urd looked as if she had had one too many. Ian then slurred slightly as he said, "You're right: fests are fun!"

"Hey, we…we…_belch_…needed to victory our celebrate!" she mumbled.

Skuld just smacked her forehead, wondering how it was they had the same father. Ian then said, "Do you have the ring?"

"Of…coursh I do," Urd slurred out badly, and started to feel around for the box. "Hey, wheresh da boxthhhh?"

She started to search all around for it, and she said, "Ah well…muth have left it therrrrrrrrr."

Ian shook his head and produced the box, saying, "I'm glad I got it from you before you got too far."

Urd just laughed, saying, "Oh, you kidder!"

However, Skuld said, "How are you like this? I mean the amount of sake that you drink…"

"I guesh it's the hopth," Urd answered, and then she said, "Let me get to my room…got the…_hic_…right stuffffffffff."

She staggered towards the door, nearly tripping over Keiichi, and she was oblivious to what was happening. "Hey…Bell…d…dandy, watch where you leave him," she said, and Skuld was right behind Urd, making sure that she did get the right potion, lest she grab the wrong one and turn herself into an orangutan. The last thing they needed at that moment was a drunken ape staggering around the house! Ian sat down, noticed, Keiichi, Belldandy's stressed face, and he said, "Hey, wait…what's wrong, sis?"

"Oh, it's horrible!" she said, "Keiichi drank some tea I had made, and…and…"

She started to cry as if this had been all her fault. "Oh Keiichi…I am so sorry!"

"Okay, hold on," Ian then said, "What do you think you did?"

"Well, I don't know…I just made the tea. I had some myself, but nothing happened to me!"

Ian looked at Keiichi as his eyes were darting back and forth like crazy, and Ian said, "Whoa! That is some serious REM action going on! If he is dreaming, this has to be very vivid."

After about five minutes, Urd came back into the room, still wearing the outfit, but much better for what she had been. Ian said, "Wow! You need to bottle that stuff and put it on the market."

"No way!" Urd answered, "This would only give people the excuse to drink, and then we would have millions of pickled livers everywhere!"

She then looked at Keiichi, looked at the screen, and she said, "That is some heavy alpha wave action in there! Tell me everything that happened."

Belldandy explained all that had happened when they arrived, and the three ninja gave their story. Pondering for a minute, Urd said, "Let me take that pot. I have a sneaking suspicion of what's going on."

With that, she took it and got ready to analyze it. If it were what she thought, they would have to get into his mind and try to walk Keiichi back to reality.

Keiichi watched everything unfold before him as it had been before, except it was Mara instead of Belldandy. What was weirder was that, at crucial points, he found himself saying the same things, though he did not want to in reality. He figured that, if he could break the chain, he might snap out of this. It still felt real enough, but because of what he saw, this could not be real! Then it came time for the wish. He fought against it as hard as he could, and started to form in his mind, "I wish that this dream was over and I was awake," but every time he tried to open his mouth, it started to be what he had said that one night. He kept stopping himself, and Mara said with a giggle, "Oh, come now…you do not have to be shy! Go ahead and speak your wish. I shall not laugh at you."

Now, the urge was even greater to say the wish. What was even scarier was the fact that she actually looked charming as she did this. That charm was causing him to try to say something that may cause the dream to continue, and this he was fighting with all he had. Finally, he just screamed as he held his head, trying to fight against the wish. Mara said, "Oh dear…is what you wish that hard to say? If it is your heart's desire, please, I wish to hear it."

"I…I…" he stammered, "It's not that…I just…wish…"

"Yes…"

"Well, I think it would be odd…ugh…"

"Nothing is too odd for us. What is on your mind?"

"Something…along the lines…of…no, I can't say it."

"Oh dear, this must be something very important to be so hesitant."

"It's not more important than wishing that I wish I had a goddess like you by my side forever."

"_Oh no!_" thought Keiichi, "_She got me in casual enough talk to get me to say it!_"

The same sequence of events followed, and now Keiichi wondered if this was still a dream, or he was now somehow in Hell, suffering for some unknown wrong.

After about 20 minutes of analyzing, Urd came back in and said, "I think Halval managed to slip into the tea a demon rendition of a Michael Finn."

"But, I drank it," answered Belldandy, "So how am I not affected?"

"It only affects humans," said Urd, "It is an improvement over an ancient formula, but it is something that I have seen before in another form. However, because of how this was mixed, I suspect that the normal remedy would not work. We are going to have to enter his mind and try to bring him out of this. This means that all three of us will have to do this."

"What about me?" asked Ian.

"First, you are not ready yet for such things," answered Urd, "You don't know how to keep yourself from completely detaching yourself from your own body, and that could be very ugly for you if you did. Second, we need someone to keep an eye on things to insure there are no disruptions. This is going to take some delicate work."

Ian nodded, and he watched as the norns prepared to go to work.

The sisters put on similar helmets and sought to connect through the system. In the meantime, Keiichi was reliving everything, but for him, it seemed like real time was passing. He knew this was not the way it was supposed to be, but he also felt a prisoner to his own memories. What shocked him more was when Chibi Hild and Hrungnir turned up in the place of Urd and Skuld respectively. Then came the jolt of his life. It came to the spot where the sealed demon, (which was supposed to be Mara,) was released, and it was Belldandy! However, she had the markings from when she had been temporarily turned into a demon. He wanted to scream for this to stop, but every time he tried to go "off script" so to speak, something snapped him back into place. What he did not know was that Halval was on the outside monitoring his dream sequence from her lair, and making sure that, if he tried to derail things, they would snap back. In fact, not only was Belldandy what she was, but Urd came in Hild's place as well! However, Halval now watched closely. The thing she was looking for the most was when Belldandy and Urd used their magic. The spells would not be too dissimilar, and she could use this later. This was her main goal: if she could learn what they said and how, then when anyone on her side started to hear the spell start, they could strike before it was done. She knew that, deep in his subconscious mind, he remembered everything and how it was done, though there was no way that he could ever consciously bring them up. Sure enough, Halval was seeing every trick and every spell each one used, and she was recording this frantically. She knew that if Urd ever figured out what was going on, they may try to bring him around, so she had to act fast.

Soon, the thoughts were coming to the spot where Belldandy fought against what Mara tried to unleash on the Earth through the Demon King and the Lord of Terror, but before things could go any further, the norns appeared out of nowhere. The demon Belldandy and the genuine article stopped and stared at one another, as did the two Urd. The Lord of Terror then said, "What is going on here? This is not right!"

"That is correct," said goddess Belldandy, "None of this is correct. This must stop."

"NO!" screamed the Lord of Terror, "It doesn't matter who does what or how, I am going to win!"

"Wrong," said goddess Urd, "This is Keiichi's dream, and he can do what he wants."

Skuld came up to Keiichi and handed him a robe as she said, "Put this on, and you shall have full control of this."

The robe was merely nothing more than a hypnotist's trick to get the subject to do what they wanted, and in this case, it was to take control of the dream. Halval, who was watching, became angry that they had acted so fast. However, due to the time disparity in Keiichi's mind, in that, to him, it was all happening in real time, there were many tricks that she learned from Urd and Belldandy, and once they had the eye, the ring, and the coif, they all could become unstoppable. She said to herself, "Fine…I have enough."

She then pulled contact away and started to go over the data she had received. In the dream, Keiichi put on the robe, and everything froze except for the actual norns. Belldandy then said, "You do know that none of this has been real, correct?"

"Yes, I kinda figured that, considering who was acting in your place," answered Keiichi.

"Then, take our hands," responded Urd, "Please, follow us out of this place and awake. We shall guide you home."

This, he did, and they headed for a door in a nearby wall which, in Keiichi's subconscious, represented the way out of the dream. Once through, it was dark again, but this time, he did not fear, because now he was being guided through the darkness. Belldandy then said, "Come home with us, Keiichi. This nightmare shall soon end, and you can be at peace."

The sisters came to just in time to see Keiichi's eyes flutter open. He sat up, no worse for the wear, and then was pushed back down to the floor as Belldandy tackled him in a bear hug, crying and apologizing for all that had happened. Keiichi, in his typical fashion, just smiled and consoled her, assuring her that she had done nothing wrong, and that all was okay. However, Urd was trying to figure out why Halval had done this. As Keiichi relayed the dream and all that had happened, she could not understand how everyone's roles had been reversed in his mind, or why. What could have been the purpose in that? This was making her sick to her stomach just thinking about what may lay on the horizon, in that they now may have a foe they could not understand.

Before long, Hagal and Apollyon were at Mimir's well, but the sight was being observed closely. There were two ravens sitting over a tree where the well sat, watching the whole thing, and not noticed by the pair now looking greedily into the well. The Almighty himself was now showing these images to Lind. She then said, "Milord, what do we do? We could not stop them out there in the expanse."

"They can be stopped," he answered, "They shall only have the eye, and it only has a power enhancing ability. However, as corrupting it can be to those that are not meant to have it, there is a possibility of the pair weakening themselves before action is needed. If that happens, what already exists on the surface world may be enough."

"Then, what would you like from me?"

"Go to them, and stick close to Ian. He needs to be able to do more than he can in order to help. Two of those that can act are going to be taking part in a sporting event covering many days, and they shall be vulnerable. They could be used as bargaining chips to get Urd to give up the ring, and Ian the coif. All those that can watch over their safety shall be paramount to the whole thing. There may also be a play directly for the artifacts, so that has to be taken into account. We must watch closely, and figure out if we can anticipate their moves. Right now, they have the initiative, and we are on our back foot. All we can do is watch and react. I know you play a fine game of chess, Lind."

"Thank you for the compliment, milord; indeed I do."

"Right now, they have the tempo, but you have to reverse that somehow. For now, go to them, and get them ready for the struggle to come."

As she acknowledged this, the image now showed the pair speaking incantations over the well, and within a minute's time, the eye had been levitated out of the water. It was a large, clear gem that had a black wing on the top on either side. On each wing written in runes were the names of Huginn and Muninn, the names of the very ravens that now watched them. However, before either could take it, the problems the gem could cause started to manifest themselves. Both tried to grab the gem at the same time, and for a few tense minutes, the pair stared at one another, struggling to take the gem for his or herself. Finally, Apollyon released his grip, sending Hagal sprawling to where she landed on her rump in an unceremonious fashion. After a moment of aggravation, she smiled and gained her feet, as if to say, "_That is right: recognize Hagal's superiority. Hagal shall be the one to wield this gem._"

However, and counter to that, Apollyon thought, "_That's right: think you have won for now. Eventually, you shall work out your usefulness to me, and when that happens, I shall show you how I earned my name, take the artifacts, and erase the grand mistake that the Almighty foisted on the universe!_"

Content on this, the Almighty gave command to his ravens to head to Chiba City to watch over his children. They had to be watched and warned to the impending danger they all faced.

(Here is an omake written by Hotelkatz, and expect more to come)

Mara was going over some reports and reading when she heard someone walk in. When she turned around to face who it was, Mara was a bit pleased to see it was Urd.

_"Better her than Hild. All that paperwork is one nasty pain and I don't feel like getting punished,"_ Mara thought to herself.

"Urd! Never have I been so glad to see you!" Mara cheered.

"Oh? Why's that?" Urd asked.

"Paperwork… Ugh..." Mara said, as she shook with revulsion while walking away from the pile of papers.

"Keiichi was under a sleeping potion. Either Hagal or one of her minions had something to do with it. I think you might wanna take a look at what he was dreaming," Urd said, as she took a multicolored gem out of a pocket.

As Mara began to reach for the gem she stopped and asked Urd, "This isn't a prank of yours, is it?"

"Nah, I have better ones in store. I want your opinion at what was the purpose behind their little dream they gave Keiichi," Urd stated.

Mara took the gem and put it near her forehead to see the dream. When it was over, she dropped the gem and had a look of shock on her face.

"I might have forgotten to tell you that you were a goddess in the dream," Urd said nonchalantly.

_At a cake shop about a block away..._

Halval, having some free time, decided that she was going to reward herself. She had just left the cake shop with her prize, when she heard a loud scream. Halval looked in the direction where it was coming from and smiled. Her plan to make Mara scream in terror was a success.

5


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Staying on Track

Megumi was up early the next morning, getting the coffee ready and a light breakfast. Ian came in the night before, a bit buzzed, and very frisky. However, he was so exhausted, she did not take advantage of the situation, but the rather just let him get some sleep. She knew he did not drink a whole lot, and so even a buzz would create a decent hangover for him. She could not believe the outrageous story of how he and Urd were at a German Spring Fest, though the smell of beer and bratwurst was on him, not to mention the ridiculous outfit he was wearing seemed to justify the story. All she figured was that, somehow, Urd found a German Biergarten somewhere in Tokyo and had them go there. Since they were brother and sister, she thought nothing of it, though she wondered just how much influence Urd, as the older sister, had on the others. She just mused on this while she prepared things. She knew that he had to be up for work soon, and she had to get him where he could be effective that day. She was so glad he got to work in the parts warehouse for the auto parts shop at Whirlwind. It paid well, and he was able to support both of them. She knew that he had a great career ahead of him in psychology, and maybe even as a doctor if he felt himself so ambitious. She knew not where this relationship was headed, but she was determined to enjoy it as much as she could while they still had it. Before long, she heard him stir, and he came out, all chipper and happy, much to her surprise. "Well, look at Mr. Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed!" she said as she smiled, watching him come in, "Knowing you, you should have had a mild hangover."

"Yeah, that is strange…" he answered but trailed off and reached up to his ears. He realized what had happened: he had not put the inhibitors back on, and so it had healed him from the effects. "Oh," he mildly exclaimed, "I'll be right back."

He came back out, wearing the inhibitors, and she thought that odd. "Why did you put those on?" she asked, "I would not have thought you all that attached to jewelry."

He just shrugged, and he said, "I don't know…I just felt something was out of place."

It was not a lie, because it was because they were not there that he even noticed, but she decided to ask some more things. "You know, come to think of it, I never see you take them off even for a bath or for sleep," she said, "Plus, I don't ever remember you wearing those when I first met you."

"They were from my sisters," said Ian, going for the coffee, hoping that she would stop pushing. He was not ready to tell her the full truth yet.

"It is strange they wear the same things, and even more than you do," she answered, "I mean, the bracelets, earrings, all this bling."

Ian's principles were that lying was wrong, period, but what could he now say. He had to tell her some truth without revealing more than needed. He then said, "Well, they said it's some kind of family thing. They can't take them off either."

"Oh, it's some religious thing?" she said as she put his breakfast in front of him.

"Um…you could say that," he answered.

"Well, you do believe in God," she responded as she got her own plate, "and I am not sure yet if I believe, but I can't say I'm a strict atheist myself. Besides, what religion is this?"

He paused with chopsticks in his mouth, mid bite, not sure what to tell her. He then said, "Well, it's something Scandinavian."

"Oh, come on!" she jested, "You're not one of those people that believe in the Norse myth, are you? You might as well believe in Zeus for that matter!"

The truth was, it was not myth, but nowhere near what myth declared. Myth declared that Yggdrasil was the tree of life that helped control the fates of all mankind, and his sisters tended to the tree's well being. However, the truth was that Yggdrasil was heaven's massive computer system whose gigantic circuit and motherboard system branched out like a tree, and they had the job of helping maintain it, though they did not always have to be there to do so, hence the reason why they could stay on earth. In fact, because of the laptop Lind had given him, they could do that from earth now anyway, so all was well. In any case, the myths were the truth grossly exaggerated, and in many cases, nowhere near the truth. He then said, "I wouldn't go that far, but, there is a touch of that in there."

He tried to stay vague, hoping that what he said would be enough. However, as probing a person as she was, she pushed. She then asked, "How much is a touch?"

He was starting to get aggravated, wishing she were not so nosy. He had to dodge this as best he could. He had to stay on track, and tell her the truth when the situation was right. He wanted his sisters and Lind to be there to help cushion the blow of the truth. He then said, "Well, some of the names and people are the same, and a little of this and that, but other than that, things have rather been well embellished."

"Like what?" she pressed, wanting to know him even better.

He sighed and said, "Okay, the best way to deal with this is to tell you that those of the heavenly realm intermix well with the human race—both good and bad—and quite often, you may even know some as friends and not even know what they truly are. Some are gods and goddesses, and some are demons, though not deity, if you can follow."

"There are some Japanese beliefs that deal with spirits, but does that tie in somehow?"

"Well, to humans, they may well be gods and demons, because they are so powerful, but to their own, they are greatly enhanced people—part spirit and part flesh—if that makes any sense."

"A bit…I guess."

"Well, there is only one Almighty, and he has a demonic counterpart, but in the sense of demons, they aren't exactly evil spirits, though they do love to make misfortune for people."

"Well, that sucks!"

"From what I can understand, they are permitted because they serve a purpose for the Almighty, and somehow they don't resist, because the one in charge of them understands why they are so used. Yet, the point is that the Almighty is the one to be worshipped ultimately, because he is the infinite one. However, the other spirits are to be given some respect, and though it's best to avoid demons, you should not fear them."

"Wow, this is so different from what I know about Norse myth, and yet it still sounds so Japanese."

"In fact, I would go as far as to say that, because of these beings around us, even inanimate objects are endued with spirits themselves, not of their own selves, mind you, but by what we and they endue by how much care we put into them."

"That sounds so surreal."

Now he had something. He gave here the sly eye and said, "Is it? Think about it: do you talk to your bike, your race bike, or things that are dear to you?"

"Well, that's true," she conceded.

"Does Keiichi do that?"

"Oh, he does more than I do, and to everything!"

"How about Skuld?"

"She acts like what she makes are living beings."

"Well, there you go! Our own life essence gives those things life."

"Okay, that I can dig."

"Since they are all around us, they can give even more, and you have to know that, if you have befriended some god or goddess, you have good friends on your side, because good fortune will follow you…for the most part."

"It sounds so much simpler than the myth."

"_Pay dirt!_" he thought, "_That ought to keep her happy._"

He then said, "Well, that's how it is. It's supposed to be simple. It's not supposed to be complicated. Man complicates things, but it is always better to look for the simple."

"So, this is what you four believe?"

"In a nutshell."

"That sounds neat," she said, "When we have more time, you need to tell me what parts of the myth you say are real, and what is the garbage…but right now, you have to get ready for work."

"That's true…I'm on it now."

She kissed her, but internally, he was heaving a big sigh of relief, knowing he dodged the bullet for the time being.

Ian went out to where the car was, because, by this time, he had gotten a license and a cheap car. It was not the greatest, but it got him from point A to point B fairly well. He had a time learning how to drive on the opposite side of the road than what he was used to, but he fit in before long. As he was pulling away, he saw a box van pulling up to the temple with Whirlwind markings on it, and the markings of Mishima Inc. on it as well. He had no time to worry about that, and he figured he'd ask later on. However, everyone in the house heard the truck pull up and they all came out to see what was going on. Out came Chihiro, Tamiya, and Otaki, all smiles. "Morisato!" thundered Tamiya, "We have victory, and now you need to do your part!"

Keiichi sighed, knowing that, with Tamiya involved, it could only spell trouble. He then asked, "What are you talking about?"

Chihiro said, "Chill out, you big gorilla! It's not that severe a thing. Yet, you need to get started on the rally training."

Keiichi then said, "But, what about the shop?"

"Right now, this is your job," answered Chihiro, "Since Whirlwind is sponsoring this, and you are the chief racer who happens to work for the company, then this is your job."

Soon, Sayoko's sports car pulled into the lot, and she got out in her normal business suit, saying, "Well, now we see if my father spent his money well."

Keiichi looked at her oddly, and she said, "Don't tell me you don't see the markings on the truck."

"Well, I see that, but…" Keiichi started to say, but Sayoko cut him off and said, "Well, father heard that this was happening, and also learned that my now half insane cousin insists on his loser Four Wheel Club has entered a bike in the rally as well. Since he doesn't want to see the family name tarnished because of the boy, he threw his hat into this to try to save the family name. Toshiyuki is making such a fuss over things ever since…well…you know…"

"Like, how could I forget," answered Keiichi.

Sayoko looked at Belldandy and said, "With you involved, I know that, if I am involved, and you are helping, I finally have the chance to restore my rightful place as queen without trying to destroy anyone. I think that is far more acceptable. I do owe you somewhat, but that doesn't mean that I can't be the best. It's better that way."

Belldandy just brightened and said, "Then, I shall do all I can to be my best on the road! Indeed, doing things this way is so much better!"

However, Megumi just thought, "_She's changed, but she's still a bit what she's always been. Poor Belldandy doesn't understand that Sayoko has learned to like her as a friend, but still wants to make herself look better than Bell, even if it means going though Bell to do it. Well, I guess it's better to have a friendly rivalry than it is to be better than her no matter the cost._"

As she was pondering this, Tamiya and Otaki were helping to roll out the rally superside. It was a mix of swirling dark blue and black, with the number 16 emblazoned on the front. It indeed had all the tech needed, and was set up along Skuld's specifications. Otaki said, "A few of the figures seemed otherworldly, but Chihiro seemed to be able to interpret them well, and we have a sold bike here."

"I only wish she wasn't in school right now," added Chihiro, "We need her to help us if we need to tweak anything."

"Well, we have Kay here and myself," said Megumi, "You know we are both used to what Skuld does, so we should be able to feel things out, and then to get her help when she gets home if there is something we can't handle."

"This bike also has all the tender loving care of the Auto Club behind it," added Tamiya, "They were more than happy to help if it meant that it boosted the club, so we're relying on you, Morisato! Don't let us down!"

By this point, Tamiya was towering over him, and Keiichi just swallowed hard and said, "What choice do I have?"

Belldandy then said, "Well, I think we should get our racing gear on."

"But, where are we going to test this?" asked Keiichi.

"The track around the temple here is actually the perfect size for a bike like this to test," answered Chihiro, "I wouldn't race on it, but it's good for one bike."

Urd was skeptical. She knew how things could go with Skuld's things, and she said, "So, you're going to trust Skuld's calculations?"

"She hasn't let us down yet," answered Chihiro, "Besides, those two don't look like it, but, when it comes to building things, Tamiya and Otaki are the best."

They both looked shocked and then bowed themselves to her, saying, "Sempai…we are honored at such a great compliment from you. We are not worthy!"

Chihiro just sighed and said, "You two are so sappy! Just make sure the thing stays on track!"

They both stood erect immediately and said, "We're on it!"

Very quickly, they had the bike on the start/finish line, and they were preparing her for hot laps. Keiichi just chuckled to himself, knowing that, though they could both be overbearing at times, when it came to machines, there was not a pair more serious about getting the job done right than they were.

The two now came out in racing leathers and helmets and they took their positions: Keiichi in the driver's position and Belldandy kneeling on the tandem deck. Superside bikes are essentially a specialized motorcycle with a sidecar, but the one in the sidecar is not merely along for the ride. The driver is essentially lying down and controlling the bike while the tandem is shifting his or her weight from side to side depending on the turn, sometimes leaning way out over the road to cut the turn. The tandem also has some throttle control because, if the tandem sees they could go faster in the turn, then the tandem can give it more juice. Thus, the pair must work as a team to maneuver the vehicle. Thus, Belldandy and Keiichi climbed aboard and started to get a feel for the machine. They tested their mics, and then they saw Megumi put on a set. She told them, "Okay, you two: I know that you two are the most in sync team for this kind of racing, so keep in contact with me and let me know how things feel."

They looked over and nodded as Keiichi started the bike. Off they went, tearing down the track, already feeling one with the machine. Belldandy then said, "The bike has a good spirit. It definitely appreciates the tender care with which it was built, and how it is being driven."

Of course, Megumi was hearing this, and she wrote it off to what Ian had said earlier. They started hitting the turns, Belldandy swinging off the bike and then over the engine as they hit the turns, adding or dropping throttle when needed. When the two were like this, it was as if only one person was operating the bike. However, as they went, Belldandy said, "The bike is telling me it is becoming too hot."

"I also feel a slight vibration to the steering," added Keiichi. After about two laps, Megumi said, "Bring it in. We need to look at those things."

Tamiya thundered, "How could that be? We worked hard to make sure that thing was a precision machine!"

"Hey, nothing's going to be perfect the first time around!" scolded Chihiro, "This is why we are doing this. Let's find out what's going on and tweak the stupid thing!"

With that, they went to work, knowing that it could be a long day getting it to where it would be the best bike in the rally.

Mara was rolling repeatedly in her head what Urd had shown her, and it was odd, if not disturbing. To be thought of as a goddess… She wondered why such a thing would be. Why everything would have been the opposite was beyond her. She went back through it again, and it was then she realized what was going on. Though she had no desire to help the other side, they had a mutual foe, and so she was forced to help. She went to Chibi Hild and relayed what she had seen, trying to confirm if what she suspected was correct. Chibi Hild looked serious about this, knowing it was exactly as Mara had suspected, and she said, "Mara, keep up with the paperwork. I am going to speak to them myself."

"The paperwork!" Mara sighed, "Mistress Hild: can't someone else…"

"No one else is here for that!" Chibi Hild snapped, "Someone has to do it! Do you really expect ME to do it?"

She grumbled but went to the table as Chibi Hild headed to the temple.

At the temple, they had just finished their third run before lunch, and Chihiro ordered out for pizza because everyone had been concentrating on the tests, and no one had had the chance to cook. They then went back to another run, but by this point, the pair was beginning to fatigue a bit. Keeping such a bike under control did take a toll on the body, especially for the one kneeling beside the driver. Though she was a goddess, because of the seals and inhibitors, she was subject to fatigue, not as severely as a normal human, mind you, but it would eventually settle in. Because of the nature of the race, this bike was going to be heavier than a standard superside bike, and thus it took more work to tame it. They had no idea they were being watched.

Halval, sitting in an overlooking tree, was working on her celebration cake for a job well done, watching the whole trial thing, and thinking about how she was going to lift the ring and coif off these people, for, though Hagal now had the eye, for the plan to go through they would need the other two things. As she pondered this, someone appeared in the tree on the bough next to her, and she nearly fell out of that tree herself due to the surprise. Sitting there, with slicked back black hair in a pony tail, straw cowboy hat, denim jacket and jeans, cowboy boots and a piece of straw in his mouth, was someone she had not expected to see. It took her a minute, but she realized that this was civilian disguise that…he…used to get around in public. He just grinned at her, and he said, "So, how goes the war?"

She had the feel out of what he had said that he did not trust her ability to the job, and said, "It's going much better than you may think! I got out of them what you two are going to need for this."

"Really?" he said, all slick, "And I see you are quite content to just let them continue in life as if nothing was wrong."

She got a bit cross and said, "Hey, I'm trying to figure out how to get the ring and coif from them! That takes thought."

"You have no imagination," he said coldly, "While you are trying to figure that out, you need to keep them in disarray, and maybe even take one or two of them out of the picture while you're at it. We can't let them get too confident to think they may have us beat. We have to send them a message every once and a while that you do not turn your back on us! Watch this!"

By this point, Belldandy and Keiichi were coming down the back straightaway, and the man in the hat simply waved his hand as if he was pushing something, and a rock the size of a baseball rolled out onto the track and in front of the front tire just as they were coming by. Keiichi noticed it too late and it ricocheted off the tire to the wheel chasse just above it, bounced around, and jammed the front tire. In an instant, the pair was airborne, and everyone either yelled or screamed at the sight. It happened so fast that Belldandy did not have time to stop their fall, but something did. Just as they were about to impact, a cloud of dust came up and obscured the soft landing the pair received, (though the bike did not fare so well.) The man in the hat said, to Halval, "This is our cue to retreat for now. Yet, remember what you saw, and know, it is always easier to destroy than to create."

In an instant, he was gone, and her suspicions were correct in who that had been. Apollyon was showing just how he got his reputation.

Everyone rushed over to see the pair dusty and dirty, but none the worse for the wear. However, the bike, though still intact, now had some damage that needed fixing. Everyone was expressing how relieved they were, and Keiichi whispered to Belldandy, "Wow, that was close! You acted fast in that!"

"But Keiichi," she answered with a look of confusion, "I did nothing."

"What do…" he started to say, but that was when the two of them noticed Chibi Hild standing on the roof of a shed, and she said into their heads, "We need to find a place to talk!"

5


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

Hagal had managed to gain for her operations an old Laundromat and dry cleaning facility that had been shut down, but all the equipment had been left. It was spacious enough for their purposes, and roomy enough for Apollyon to spread himself out. She had established for herself on one end of the large back room a new throne from which to operate. As she turned the eye repeatedly in her hand, she began to ponder all she was going to do once she took over. The first thing was that she would rid the world of supernatural beings. Trying to take it over the last time was a dismal failure. She needed to remove the larger hand on the surface first. She would then bend the puny humans to her will, march on heaven, and destroy everything there with Apollyon's keen ability for destruction, and then bend whoever may have survived to her will and go finish of Hild for her treachery. With all three artifacts in her possession and Apollyon as one of her soldiers, Hild stood no chance. She decided to see what was going on at that moment with him, and she looked in shock as to what he did at the temple. She knew that it would take more than that to hurt Belldandy, but that could have killed Keiichi. Even though he was attached to her foe, she still had something for him, and hoped that she could have him for herself when it was all said and done. She was furious, and she was just formulating what she wanted to say to him when he returned when he appeared in the room before her. She now stared at him, as cross as she could be. "What were you thinking!" she screamed at him, "You almost killed him!"

He furrowed his eyes and looked just as cross back at her, and he snarled, "I destroy things…what would you expect?"

She could feel the heat from his nostrils on her, but because of the corrupting effect of the eye, she felt no fear, and said, "Are you just trying to go off the game plan, or do you care about keeping things organized?"

He bore his teeth at her and snarled harsher, "I do as I please! Chaos is my middle name! Besides, what do you care if some silly sub-creature died? What do you gain?"

"That's Hagal's business!" she foolishly thundered, "Who do you think you work for, anyway?"

This time, he thundered, and it shook the whole building as he yelled, "I WORK FOR YOU? YOU'D BETTER TURN THAT ONE AROUND, MISSY!"

This time, a touch of fear did enter into her, but she steeled herself and shouted, "Hagal is the true queen of demons!"

This brought hysterics from Apollyon, pondering what was said, and through the roars of laughter, he said, "You are about as much the queen of demons as an ant! Don't flatter yourself all that much! Besides, do you really think that you, Hild, or even…he…is more powerful than me—the mighty force of destruction?"

At first, she was about to come to some irrational outburst, but when she heard the last part, she sneered and said, "Oh, come now…do you really think you are that powerful? If you are, then what holds you back?"

"I act when I choose," he said, "However, with the artifacts; they would have no resources upon which to turn to try to stop me. I would rather have a situation where I can embarrass them in defeat rather than just winning. For now, Hild tolerates me because, sometimes, what I can do works into her actions. I do not destroy heaven because I want them to think they have it all under control. When I get my victory, I want it complete and decisive!"

Now that he was regaining his composure, he remembered his anger to her attitude, and regained his stare at her as he quieted and snarled at her, "Do no think for one instant you run anything in this! Who was it that set you free? You owe me! Now, hand over that eye."

She just stared. He inched closer and got close enough to bite her as he said, "Do you really wish to test me? Hand…over…the…eye!"

Suddenly, her courage left her as the sense of ultimate dread overcame her. She swallowed hard, as if to literally swallow her pride, and dropped the eye. In an instant, Apollyon was in his disguise look from the true form he showed Hagal normally, and took up the eye. "Good," he said, "You can learn."

She started to sit, but he grabbed her and flung her to the floor as he sat and said, "Don't even…"

She now stared at him wide-eyed, locked up in her thoughts as what to do next. Fear and common sense kept her from lashing out, but she did not intend to be swept aside either. She was not sure what to do, but one thing was certain: she was no longer in charge, and never really was.

Skuld and Sentaro were both coming out of their middle school, laughing and joking like two old friends. For them, lovey-dovey kind of things was urges they did not quite have yet, although such feelings were just barely bubbling up. Every once and a while, they held hands, and there was the occasional peck on the cheek that would turn Skuld beat red. At one time, she might have reacted badly, but now, for some reason, it did not seem so bad. It was nice to have someone that cared for you, even though now she was obligated to taking care of him. In earthly terms, they were now affianced, but they never would have called it such—not at this stage of the game. Many other girls saw them, and they were jealous of her, in that she had a boyfriend where they did not, and were jealous at the same time that she even had the courage to talk to a boy, as, though they were all about 11 or 12 years old, the bashful child in them still held some sway. However, for every jealous girl, there was two others that either liked her, saw her as a friendly rival, or both, so things were not that bad. In fact, they often made her forget she was a goddess. As they came out, they spied Ian's car as he rolled down the windows and said, "Hey, you two: I just got off work! Would you two like a ride?"

They both brightened and said together, "Sure!" and both hopped in. Ian then asked, "Do you need to head home, Sentaro?"

"Nah," he answered, "We're going to do some homework together before I have to go. Since home is only a couple of doors down now, it's no problem."

"Besides," chirped Skuld, "I want to see how big sister is doing with Goddess Thunder!"

"Goddess Thunder?" asked Ian, all confused, "What's that?"

"That's the bike I helped design, silly," she chirped back, "I want to see if those two clowns got the bike right!"

By her statement, Ian knew she could only mean Tamiya and Otaki. He just nodded and said, "Okay, well, I'm sure they're working any kinks out of it now!"

"Kinks?" she said, now all pouty, "My machines aren't that way!"

"Oh, really?" said Ian, "What about the whole bread thing, remember?"

She could not answer that, and just pouted as she said, "Hey, remember who your big sister is!"

Sentaro looked at her as if someone had just put something smelly below his nose and said, "Older sister…hold on, Skuld…that doesn't make any sense."

Ian was working hard on not laughing, wondering how Skuld was going to wiggle out of this. Indeed, she was right, but because of the way his father's half mature, she had been in this way for some time. However, he also had come to the understanding that she would grow at the rate of a human if she continued to develop in her love for others as a goddess. Thus, he was happy for Sentaro, because, that way, he would not leave her behind. Skuld then said, "Hey, I thought I explained how everything worked, Sen!"

"Yeah, you did," he said, "and my head still hurts trying to figure it out."

Ian could not hold back as much now, and let a snicker out, to which he got a berating from Skuld, who said, "You're one to talk! You didn't know which end was up for a time, there!

"Sometimes I still don't," he said, smiling, "I just love watching you try to squirm out of situations you create!"

She just started to beat on the driver's seat in front of her as now both Sentaro and Ian were in stitches while she shouted, "Ooh…when I get home, I'm going to get both of you back! Just you wait!"

However, they pulled up into the temple drive lot by this point and just arrived in time to see everyone heading back to the box van in which sat all the tools and things they needed for repairs, and both Keiichi and Belldandy all dusty and disheveled, but more or less okay. The car had barely stopped when Skuld was out of the car and across the grounds screaming, "Big sister! What happened? Are you okay?"

She latched around Belldandy's waist in tears that something bad had happened, but Belldandy just stroked her hair and said, "We're fine, Skuld. We just had a bit of trouble, but we're okay. Don't worry."

"But I do worry," sobbed Skuld, "I mean, you get on that scary bike, you put your body out there…it frightens me!"

"It's okay," said Belldandy, "As long as Keiichi is with me, and I have you watching over me, I know that nothing bad is going to happen."

Skuld sniffled and said, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course," reassured Belldandy, "I know that with all my heart."

Skuld hugged Belldandy tight again and said, "Oh, thank you big sister," and looked around her waist as they were dragging up the bike. She gasped, seeing the damage, and she screamed, "Goddess Thunder…my precious Goddess Thunder…what happened to you!"

She let go of Belldandy and rushed up to the bike as Tamiya and Otaki were bringing it back. Chihiro looked at Skuld's worried face, amused that she would act as if the machine was a living being and lavish love on them as such. She knelt as the pair stopped with the bike and rubbed Skuld's back, saying, "Oh, it's okay…it just hit a rock that got kicked up inside the wheel well and jammed it. All it did was bend the front suspension and the crash cracked up the hull some, and both are easily fixed. Keiichi and Belldandy were fortunate that they were thrown clear and landed safely. Would you like to help?"

Chihiro did not have to ask twice, as it seemed to everyone she instantly went from her fuku to a set of coveralls and said, "Okay, listen up: this is a precision machine! We need to make it look good and run better than before! I want to see the data and see what you have done all day with it! Goddess Thunder is going to be the best superside the world has ever seen!"

This got a cheer from the Auto Club, and all the members dove in with relish. Belldandy then said, "Then, I suppose I should get supper started."

"Let me help," responded Sayoko, the offer of which Belldandy readily accepted. Yet, before she went in, she spotted Chibi Hild again, and she said, "I'll catch up."

With that, she signaled Urd and Keiichi, and they went to talk to Chibi Hild.

Urd saw Chibi Hild, and considering what had just happened, she snapped at Hild, "You have some nerve to do what you did!"

Chibi Hild furrowed her brow at her and said, "Don't be so gauche, dear girl! What happened was hardly sporting."

"Then, what did happen," asked Belldandy with genuine curiosity.

"I do hope you realize who has been aiding Hagal," stated Chibi Hild, to which Belldandy answered, "I understand that Apollyon did so."

"Yes," answered Chibi Hild, "Which means, if he is becoming as ambitious as you may have learned by now, that means he's going to try to cause much in trouble. He is very random and chaotic, and indeed, he was the one that put the rock out on the track."

Keiichi looked with some anger and said, "That dirty rat!"

Chibi Hild smiled and said, "Though your candor is admirable, there is hardly anything a mere mortal like you could do to combat him. However, if he has gotten your father's eye, Belldandy, his already destructive spirit is becoming more and more corrupt."

Urd understood where this was going, and she said, "Would that mean he would start destroying things en masse?"

"No…though corrupt, he's not stupid either," she answered, "I well know that, by himself, though he is destructive, either your father or myself could easily stop his chaos. He breathes a lot of fire, but he is not as powerful as people think as long as there are forces like me or your father in this world to keep the order. However, if he was to get the three artifacts, then there is no telling. His attack today was a test. He wanted to see how you reacted to things, because one thing is certain—and make no mistake about this—he is going to try to get the ring and coif from you, no question."

Everyone just stared at one another now, not sure what to say. "How do we stop him?" asked Keiichi, "Ian's supposed to be some kind of defender…"

"He is strong," Chibi Hild cut in, "Yet, he's not as strong as he would need to be to defeat Apollyon outright. He could hold him back for a time, but he could not defeat him without help. That being said, I would be sure that he would get some Valkyrie help, or maybe even help from Thor. Just tell him that he needs to train more than ever before, and, if Lind can't be here right now, you three goddesses need to do what you can to help him."

"What do we do in the meantime?" asked Urd.

"I am uneasy that two of the artifacts are with you and so close together," answered Chibi Hild, "We would need to spread them out more. Let me take one of them."

Keiichi and Belldandy both looked unsure about that, but Urd said, "Oh, and how would we trust you with either of them. Knowing you, you want the ring!"

"Well, of the two items, that one would carry more priority," answered Chibi Hild, "Besides, only a fool would take that thing out of the box your little sister built to contain it! The misfortune that follows it around could be just as destructive as Apollyon himself. For me to use it would be shooting myself in the foot! Don't be foolish."

"But, why should you get the ring?" asked Keiichi, all suspicious.

"I won't," she said, "My main self would get this. Niflheim would be the last place he would look for it."

"But, if he has the eye, he could see that coming," said Belldandy, all worried.

"Not if I don't allow it," responded Chibi Hild all confident, "I can cover my movements. Even if he knew where it ended up, he would not dare confront my main self directly, even with the eye. His power would yet be enhanced, but not enough to stop her."

Even though it all sounded bad, the logic was actually sound. After some awkward moments, Urd went to where she had hidden it and brought the box in which rested the ring. Chibi Hild looked at it, and she just nodded. Because she had not immediately snatched it up, it set them at ease somewhat, and Belldandy looked at her aura. It was not one of lying or an ulterior motive, so she knew she could be trusted. Chibi Hild then took it, with a bit of reluctance. She then said, "If it was not for what was going on, I would have rather the Rhine Maidens still have this. Even safeguarded, if this got lose, whoever found it would have problems upon problems constantly multiplying themselves. However, finding it would not be hard: just follow the trail of destruction. A close watch on this is going to be maintained. Remember: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and therefore, as much as I hate to admit it, we have to trust each other, or all that both worlds value will mean nothing. As corrupted as Apollyon could become with that eye, if he had it all, he could end up destroying existence as we know it."

"He would not try to put something else in its place, would he?" asked Keiichi.

Chibi Hild smiled and said, "This is why he cannot defeat either me or the Almighty: all he knows how to do is destroy. Even if he organizes something, it's only to use it to destroy something else, and then, even that is destroyed."

"How do we stop him?" asked Keiichi, all worried now.

Chibi Hild smiled and said, "Simple…get the eye. Everything else falls into place."

"Sounds to me as if we need to postpone everything until this is resolved," sighed Keiichi, just wishing they could get some peace…something he had not seen save for the few months after Hagal's play for power. However, Chibi Hild then said, "No, keep on living. There would be nothing more that he would love than to throw your lives into chaos. Living is fighting him. You may be vulnerable, but if you do things right, you can take care of yourselves in the rally. It may seem odd to hear this, but the demons will be watching your backs as well…we have no choice. We know that you all can help greatly in resolving this, so keeping everyone safe in our own way benefits us. As you seek to protect, and your side of things does, we shall be causing as much misfortune as we can for those that would seek to cause you problems. There is no telling if there are any of our ranks that he might seek to sway. Yet, if that happens, we have to stop it as well, because it serves our interests to filter out traitors. Live your lives. That is the best way to go, but stay circumspect, and never let your guard down. He'll still try for the coif, but it is not as high priority for him. He may still try for the ring, but if that happens, one, you don't have it, and two, you three and Ian should be able to handle it. This feels strange to be helping, but what choice to I have. Ta-ta, all!"

With that, she was gone. As they walked back, Keiichi said, "I don't know. It still feels like we asked a thief to watch our luggage for a few minutes."

"Trust me," said Urd, "She is every bit like the genuine article. Once she makes a promise, she keeps it. It's going to seem odd to be protected by demons as well as our own, but I'll quote the old saying again…necessity is the mother of strange bedfellows."

At the house, Belldandy poked her head into the kitchen and saw that Sayoko had a good stir-fry and curry rice already well underway, and said, "Well, you have come a long way in cooking."

Sayoko looked over her shoulder and said, "Peorth taught me a lot. I now find this quite fun, and I guarantee you that I will surpass your skill one day!"

Belldandy, knowing that this was not said with malice as it had been before, smiled, and said, "The day that happens, whoever takes your hand, is going to have a happy stomach! Perhaps I could…"

Sayoko smirked and said, "Oh no…I'm doing this myself. If I were going to surpass you, what good would it do to have you help me? Peorth said that the best way is to learn on my own."

"Of course," answered Belldandy, "Her word is trustworthy. She is a good friend, and I see much of her in you. It made sense that Yggdrasil would have sent her your way."

"She is my goddess."

"And she is a good one to have. Indeed, what shall happen is that you shall have a way of cooking that is yours and no one else's, and that is the way it should be. The love and care of each person should be reflected in the food he or she cooks, and that makes everyone's work have a taste all its own. I am certain this is what shall happen for you, and I cannot wait to taste it when you have perfected it."

Sayoko smiled and sighed, saying, "You know, I still want to best you, but, for some reason, I don't feel what I used to. It seems that, though I would be good to try to surpass you, and I want to surpass you, for some reason, if I didn't, it doesn't bother me as much to think that I would not."

"Hmm…then, perhaps it is such that you have found more that is valuable to you than the material things around you."

Sayoko stopped, looked a touch serious, and then said smiled again and said, "I've heard an old saying that the love of money is the root of all evil. I guess we have to learn how to love the right things. Yet, can you really love someone who you are trying to surpass?"

Belldandy smiled and said, "If you are trying to do it because you admire them, sure!"

Sayoko tapped her knife on the chopping block, put it down, and stirred the wok a little and she said, "I don't know whether or not I admire you yet. I just…"

She stopped, trying to find the right words. After a few moments, she said, "You know, I apologized to you and Keiichi months ago, and I know you have forgiven me. I know it was wrong what I did, and I know I have learned to see beyond my narrow-minded petty views. Why do I still want to surpass you?"

Belldandy wished Ian were there at that moment, because she knew he could give the clinical answer, but she would have to word it the best she could. She then said, "Well, if I was to give counseling, I would say that your reasons for doing so are no longer the same. To have a role model or some example to follow is not a bad thing. Know that this puts pressure on me, because, if I am your example, then I must always strive to provide that example for you, and hope that it shall continue to inspire you to be better and better as a person. Please, never lose that urge to surpass me, because I do believe it would make you no longer be who you truly are. You are a competitive person by nature, and that competitive edge is what keeps you going and wakes you up to face every day."

Sayoko smiled, but smirked a bit, and she said, "Then, I ask you one favor."

"What is that?" asked Belldandy with glee.

"Win," Sayoko answered frankly, "My family name is on the line and for me to be the best, you have to be the best in that rally. You must win. I want you to win."

If she had been sent to offer a wish, then that would have been established in a contract. However, Belldandy felt and obligation to win now. She was right: Sayoko's family was staking much in this rally, and as a goddess, she had to do all she could to help all souls that she could, and if winning helped people, then she had to win now. Belldandy then said, "Fear not: we shall win!"

Sayoko saw that she was still in her racing outfit, and she said, "Why don't you take a bath? I can handle this tonight."

"Are you certain?" asked Belldandy, "There are many people tonight."

"Oh, I have enough here," answered Sayoko, "Besides all that, from what I understand, after tomorrow's test runs, Ian is going to barbecue, and have what he calls a New England Clambake. It sounds interesting."

"I cannot wait!" chirped Belldandy, and she left Sayoko to finish things.

After she stripped, she put on her robe, and entered the bathroom. She had not realized that Keiichi was already in there, soaking in the tub. "Oh, Keiichi…I am so sorry!"

By this point, in their dream unions, they had seen each other in a state of undress, but they still felt a touch of embarrassment in this case. However, Banpei heard that and suddenly marched up. He was already in a bad mood that his Sigel had been harmed. She was reassembled and operating again, but he was still in a bit of a foul mood, and had always been led to assume that, when things like this happened, it was Keiichi's fault. He marched in and clocked him over the head, sending a large scream throughout the house, followed by Belldandy trying to fetch him off, saying that it had been her fault. The scream, however, attracted Skuld, who stormed in and then started to berate Keiichi, shouting, "Hey, mister…just because things are different now and I've let a lot go, but that doesn't mean you can get all sloppy and messy/lovey before you two are a proper man and wife! You are NOT taking advantage of my sister!"

Of course, that set Keiichi squirming deeper into the tub, and a course of explanation from Belldandy. Sayoko just smiled and shook her head, knowing that her surrogate family, albeit odd, was a good one. Urd had also entered by this point and she had a smile. All she could think was, "_The more things change, the more they stay the same. Poor Keiichi is going to be 80 years old before Skuld backs off completely. Oh well…even after this world, those two will be together, because forever is forever. If they waited this long, they can wait a little longer. Just…do us all a favor and grow up real soon, Skuld, but not so fast as we cannot enjoy it._"

6


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Curiosity Killed the Cat, (and satisfaction brought it back)

Chibi Hild had no idea if she was really safeguarding things, or if she just pulled of a huge coup. One thing was for sure: Apollyon would not be getting his hands on it anytime soon. However, she also knew that she would have to prepare Niflheim to receive it, in that, no demons in the ranks that still may have lingering loyalties of Hagal could know it was coming. Thus, she wanted to wait before bringing it right there and tell her namesake what was coming. She headed for the abandoned factory to safeguard it there until it was time. When she arrived, Mara had just finished her paperwork and now was preparing to do some more work on the rats there. "Ah, good," said Chibi Hild, "I see you have all the work done."

"Yes," sighed Mara, "And I am so glad that's done! I mean, all the records that had to be altered for all the demons we lost when they helped Hagal in her little fight, and then those that had to be imprisoned for their insurrection was mind shaking! I can't believe Hagal's fingers ran that deep! I thought I did some devious things, but, wow! This takes the cake!"

"Well then," answered Chibi Hild, "That means your hands are free for another important task."

She then presented the box and she said to Mara, "In this box is something that is extremely important. It is to be guarded tightly, and you are not to part with this box but with your life!"

Chibi Hild furrowed her brow and said, "_Is_…_that_…_clear?_"

Mara had seen that look before, and she knew that this was one that was not to be crossed. She swallowed hard, knowing that this was no idle threat and picked up the box as if she had been a human with a one billion yen winning lottery ticket. Of course, Mara had to ask: "Um…what's in here?"

Chibi Hild gave her that look again and said, "None of your business."

Mara immediately wanted to respond to this, but the look called her off again. Chibi Hild then said, "It may take me a bit of time to arrange where this is going, so keep it well. I shall return for it at that time."

With a flash and puff of smoke, Chibi Hild was gone. All Mara could think was, "Now what?"

Mara sat there for some time just staring at the box, not sure what to do with it. Though her orders were to merely guard it and not mind for its contents, nothing was said about just what safeguarding it meant. Thus, Mara was even beginning to fear even touching it. She finally relaxed enough to watch some TV, but she set up the TV in such a fashion as to where she could see the box. After settling on a program, she began to get into the show. However, one of the rats she had not yet converted started to sniff around the box in a search for scraps. Indeed, it did smell a crushed nut that Mara knew not was under the box and being that these animals are problem-solving smart, it started to push and nudge the box. The sliding sound of the box on the table near her caught her attention, but too late. By the time she looked over, she watched as the rat pushed off the box and started in on his prize while the box dropped to the floor. Mara nearly jumped out of her skin as she leaped backwards as if someone had just dropped a live grenade on the ground. After a few gut wrenching seconds, she got up from her fetal position and saw that, not only was she well, the box had opened up. Now curiosity was getting the better of her to see the box's contents. Considering that it had opened on its own, she could look in without fear, just to see what was in there, close it up, and keep it with her to avoid this again. With that, she went over, and got a bit of a surprise.

When she looked in, all she saw was a gold ring with small gold ornamentation top. It really did not look all that out of the ordinary and actually looked like any other ring some fashionable girl would wear. She picked up the box and looked at the ring. She looked confused, wondering what was so important about this ring. Everything in her head was screaming to her to just close the box and forget it. However, for someone with the kind of mind that Mara had, that is like telling a child to guard a candy jar but telling the child that he or she can't have any of it. Against all logic, she took out the ring and put it on. It actually looked good on her! She'd wear it for…well…only a little while. What could it hurt?

She went back to the TV to finish her show, and now, for some reason, the reception was going out. This was odd, because she knew that they were using cable, so this should not have been an issue. Thus, she went to check out what was wrong, and as soon as she touched the knob, she was on the receiving end one nasty shock that threw her across the room, which was followed by the TV exploding. She growled, angry that this had happened, knowing how long it took to save up for that TV from the job she had. Now all she had was enough to go to the thrift store and buy something second-hand. It would not be the greatest, but at least she would have something. She went to fly out the window, became briefly disoriented, and smashed right into the wall next to it. After screaming in pain, (and watching all the rats scatter that had come to see what she was doing,) she growled again, successfully made it out the window, and then was immediately set upon with guano from a passing bird. "WHAT IS GOING ON!" she thundered, "My horoscope said nothing about any of this!"

She said this as she went underway again, and was so engrossed that she did not see the power lines ahead of her. She became entangled, got shocked again, and then hit the ground in a smoking heap. She screamed again, wondering how the rest of the day was going to go.

The bike was successfully fixed, and all was ready for the next day's tests. Everyone enjoyed the meal that Sayoko made, and Keiichi then exclaimed, "You know, this is different from what I have been getting, but I would say that it this is as good as Belldandy's."

"Hey, my sister is the best at cooking!" snapped Skuld, but Urd covered Skuld's mouth, trying to avoid a bad scene. Normally, Belldandy would have been worried at that statement, but because of the conversation that she and Sayoko had had earlier, Belldandy smiled. Sayoko's heart leaped to hear that, and she said, "Are you saying that it's like her cooking?"

"Well, no," he answered, "It tastes unique, but just as good, I'd say. I think Belldandy would say that it reflects the person who made it."

It was exactly what Belldandy had told her, and this seemed a greater victory. It was not that she had surpassed Belldandy, but she had found her own style that was now equated to Belldandy's cooking from the man who ate that woman's cooking on a regular basis. Skuld then said, "Well, she would never have done so well if sister had not taught her."

"Oh, but Skuld," Belldandy quickly answered, "I did not. That was Peorth. She was the one that taught her."

Skuld just stared at Belldandy, and she said, "But…but I thought you were the best…"

"Peorth is for the earth office what I am for our home," answered Belldandy, "Besides, I do not compete with Peorth, because I have no desire to do so. She is who she is, I am who I am, and because of that, what she can do is special. Because she is good in her own way, it makes her unique, and makes her special as well. Sayoko does the same thing, and I bet, one day, someone may tell her that her cooking is the best ever."

With a pretty smile on her face, she looked at Sayoko, trying to encourage her, to which Sayoko said, "That would be a bet you would win," not realizing that Belldandy was also referring to a possible husband she would have who would cherish everything she did. With that, Megumi said, "Say, Ian, didn't you record that big hockey game?"

"Oh yeah!" said Ian, "This is game seven for the Stanley Cup, and the Bruins have a good shot at this!"

"Well, I'll go to the house and get it cued up with some popcorn and the beers," said Megumi, and he answered, "Thanks, babe…I just want to finish this."

She smiled as she nodded and excused herself to get things ready. With that, she went to the house.

Once she got to the house, she got everything ready, and once that was done, she spotted that Ian had left his laptop open. It was plugged in, so she was not worried about it running out of juice, and it was running a screen saver of hockey action he had downloaded. She went to close the lid, and the screen saver turned off to reveal his desktop image. On it was the Bruins emblem, and with that, the icons of his favorites. She had never really been on the laptop without him, and she never really butted in. However, this was the first time she had ever had it by herself, and as far as she knew, he had never told her it was off limits, so she looked at what the things into which he got. There was his language-learning program that impressed her greatly. He had mastered Japanese by this point, as well as French, Spanish, German, and even Norwegian! He was now learning something of his heritage called Gaelic, and she wondered if it could help her learn English better. She had never asked, and she made a mental note to ask him later. There was his Bruins fan site, hockey video game, the NIT web site for his studies, and there were icons for two search engines. One was a commonly known one that she had seen him use frequently, but then there was one marked "Yggdrasil." She was not as well versed in English, but she also knew she had never seen a word like that before. She tried to pronounce it as best she could, but what seemed to be a missing vowel in the beginning seemed to be throwing her off. In any case, she was certain she had never heard of that search engine before. She wondered just how good it was, so she used the mouse and keyboard that were connected to it and scrolled over. She clicked it, and the word filled the screen, with an outline of what looked like circuitry behind it in the shape of a tree. A box below it said, in English, "Please enter password."

She knew enough English to know for what it asked, and she was now stumped. If it was blocked like this, it must mean that it was private. However, she wondered why it was blocked. She knew she should not, curiosity was now getting the better of her, and because she wanted to know her beau even better and better, she decided she was going to crack the password.

Once Mara had recovered sufficiently enough she decided to cause some mischief. For this, she called on Senbei. "Ah…Senbei at your service, Mademoiselle!" he proudly proclaimed, "So, what be your bidding and our target, milady!"

"Anything and everything!" she proclaimed, raising the fist upon which the ring rode. However, Senbei caught one look at that, and he hollered, "Sacra bleu! Where did you get that horrible thing?"

"What horrible thing," said Mara, all confused, "I don't get you."

"That ring…where did you get that ring?"

"Oh, this thing…well, Hild told me to mind it until it was safeguarded…"

"You must get rid of that thing immediately!"

"I don't understand."

"Do you not know anything? Though that ring gives great power to whoever wears it, it also brings great misfortune, and it gets worse and worse the longer you wear it!"

"Oh, come on…you can't believe every myth…"

"Oh, but I assure you…this is no myth!"

"Hey, who's in charge here? Let's go wreak some havoc!"

Senbei just sighed and complied, knowing things could get very bad. Thus, he said, "Let us stay close to home. I fear the further out we go, the less chance we have of getting to safety alive."

"Will you quit worrying!" snapped Mara, "Let's get to work!"

Before long, they were in a commercial district, and Mara figured that this would be the best place. The first place they stopped was at a fish market that had live seafood floating around. The most expensive thing there was lobsters from Maine, and there was a little girl standing near the tank. Her mother was near, and said, "Hijiri, be careful: you don't know how secure the claw restraints are."

"Okay mommy," she said with a big smile. However, Mara heard that, and she got close to the tank, hoping she had found her first target. Hijiri saw her and said, "Hey, old lady: mommy said be careful around the tank."

"Old lady?" said Mara, not at all liking the marker placed on her, and she said, "Senbei, now!"

"**_Shakeen_**!" he exclaimed, and all at once, all the claw bands broke at once, and the lobsters somehow found the legs to leap up…onto Mara! "OW! OUCH! GET 'EM OFF ME…GET 'EM OFF ME. AH!"

Hijiri giggled and said, "See, old lady, mommy was right!"

Mara was flailing around, trying to get them off, and she heard the man who ran the place say, "Put them back, or you're paying for them!"

After about ten minutes of sheer Hell, Mara managed to get them all back in, (considering the price of them,) and made her way along, tripping over one thing, falling into another. Senbei said, "Please, I beg of you, let's go back!"

"NO!" she snapped, "I actually wanted to get a new TV, and that's what I came to get!"

She then felt for her money, and that was when she found it was gone! Somehow, someone had lifted off her the loose cash she was carrying. Now she would have to wait until her next payday! "Grr! What is happening?"

"I told you," said Senbei, "It's the ring. You have to put it back!"

"Look," she said, "I figured you were above superstition! Now, let's go make some mayhem! My money is gone now, and I am really mad!"

It was then she spotted a couple crossing the street, and she spotted a truck coming down the road. She said, "Get them! Don't kill them, but mess them up real good!"

"Mademoiselle," said Senbei, "That is too cruel, even for you!"

"I don't care!" she said, "Just don't kill them. I need to blow off some steam."

He sighed and said, "As you wish…**_Shakeen!_**"

As the driver progressed, he went to slow to let the couple by, and suddenly, his breaks were out! He was hitting the horn, hoping to warn the couple, but Mara drooled as she watched the pair frozen in the headlights. This was when something in the steering went awry, and the truck swerved…right towards her! She screamed, throwing up a shield. Yet, the normally spherical shield just covered her body like a cat suit, and she was slammed into the wall, hard! The airbag in the truck saved the driver, but he staggered out, more worried about Mara than anything else. However, before he could check, an energy blast pushed the truck back, and Mara flew up and away from the site, screaming all the way. She now just wanted to get home. Yet, as she headed there, she accidentally passed over she had avoided earlier, and that was a rock festival. As the next band hit the stage, they started to rip some good ol' fashioned 16-bar blues progression rock and roll. "NO!" screamed Mara, who now began to rock out badly as she flew, but her going was slow because of it. She knew she might be there for some time!

Megumi was wracking her brains, trying to figure out what his password could be. She knew he was not all that computer savvy, so she figured his password would be something easy to remember. She thought of all the things he liked, sports he loved, players he idolized, and she wondered if it would have anything to do with that. She then remembered the small draw underneath the table that he used for a desk draw, and she wondered if it could be there. She slid open the draw, and sure enough, taped to the bottom was a piece of paper. She moved a few items and saw a list of about five passwords. "_Bingo_!" she though, but then she asked herself which one, since none of them had been marked off. She was also not sure how many chances she would get to get it right, and she decided if she did not get it at three, she would then stop. Looking at the list, she saw one that said, "bobbyorrrush," and she wondered if that was it. There was to lose at that point, so she imputed it, and it said, "Password accepted…welcome Ian."

"YES!" she said, pumping her fist, and then went to a spot that would list some of his URLs. However, instead of seeing the normal markings of the Internet, she saw letterings in runes, but with a few English words as well. "Okay, this is ultra weird," she said, and clicked on some of the sites. Her jaw hit the floor! He had visited, of all things, on-line stores _in__heaven_, or so it claimed. Yet, when she saw the homepage, the shop was in only what she could best describe as a futuristic looking city, located in somewhere called the Goddess Mall. She shook her head, and then saw a site that looked as if it had something to do with sporting goods. When she clicked on that, it showed uniforms and gear for a strange looking hockey-like sport. "_Okay,__I'm__starting__to__get__nervous__now!_" she thought, sweating now.

She then clicked on something that looked like news reports, and in this one, all the writings were in runes. However, the pictures of the people in the reports had similar markings on their faces as she had seen on the three sisters and Ian. There were also photographs of a ring, and a strange gem with wings on it. Some of the words were highlighted in red, so she figured that it had to be something important. After that, she saw a site that seemed to say, "Demigod," and clicked on it. It said, "Demigods for Dummies," and she saw that it said, "Specifically prepared for earth's new hero!"

"_What__in__the__world_…" she thought, not sure what to think now. She wondered if she now had gone to far. She left that and then saw something more tempting. She then saw an icon for e-mail. Every instinct was screaming at her to stop prying, but the icon kept at him, and she clicked on it. Up came a list of already read e-mails, and a few not yet read. Some of these people's screen names were odd: Hammer Man, Funny Man, Almighty Dad, Big Momma, Big Valkie…these were some odd names. She was now very tempted to click on one of the already read mails, and that was when she heard steps towards the house. Quickly, she clicked on the "x" to get out of the server, scrolled over to the e-mail she used, and it came up just as he walked in. She had barely composed himself when he said, "Alright, are you ready?"

"Oh, sure," she said, "Just checking my e-mail."

She smiled as if everything was okay, and he said, "Cool…I'm going to get my Bruins jersey on! I hope this is a good game!"

She nodded, and once he was out of sight, she sighed a huge sigh of relief. Yet, she remembered the e-mail, and the whole "demigod" thing, and she kept staring at the door. She shook her head slowly and said, "Who are you?"

Mara managed to crawl her way into the lab, and when she did, she saw every rat in the place begin to eyeball her, looking like they were ready to pounce. "Oh no…" she groaned, and belly crawled quickly to the box. Just before they leaped at her, she took off the ring, put it back into the box, and slammed it shut. Suddenly, the rats went back to normal, and what they would normally be doing. For a few minutes, she just lay there as Senbei scolded her for not listening. She wanted to just slap him into the wall, but she now just could not find the energy. Finally, she pulled herself to her feet and went to take a bath. This was too much for one day. After cleaning up, she had on her robe just as Chibi Hild entered. "Pardon me, Lady Hild," she said with a bow, and Chibi Hild just smiled, saying, "Well, at least you know good hygiene. Well, it's all set. Tomorrow, the box goes to a safe place. So, what's on the TV tonight?"

"Sorry, milady," said Mara, "The TV is on the fritz."

Chibi Hild just sighed and said, "You really need to learn your repair spells better."

Hild then raised a hand, assessed the problem, waved it, and on it came with no issue. Chibi Hild then sat down and said, "Well, I'm glad you behaved yourself. I can now tell you that in the box contains something that brings huge misfortune, and the box is designed to contain that. We have to keep an eye on it, because, though what is in there does what it does, it also provides its owner with great power. This is why it is to be hidden…Apollyon cannot get this, do you understand."

"Oh, of course, milady," Mara said with a smile, knowing just what the ring did. She then thought, "_Yeah,__and__Apollyon__would__not__get__two__steps__out__of__the__door__before__getting__smashed__by__an__asteroid!__He__can__have__it!_"

Mara then just settled down to watch TV, hoping never again to be such a Pandora.

The game was going well, and Ian was well into it. However, Megumi could not help staring at him from time to time, which Ian mistook for a want to hug or kiss. She did so, covering up what she was really doing: trying to figure out what in the world was going on with him and his sisters. "_Okay,__mystery__man,_" she thought, "_I'm__going__to__get__to__the__bottom__of__this.__I__am__going__to__know__the__man__I__love__no__matter__what!_"

She eyed the laptop, and she was going to really fish around when he was at work and she did not have to be out of the house. One way or another, the truth was going to come out.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Demigods for Dummies

Ian was up early the next morning, knowing that there was much to do. He had promised something for everyone that evening and he decided on a combination clambake/barbecue. He had to hit the markets and pull out the money stash he had been saving for this kind of thing. The lobsters were going to be expensive, considering they had to come all the way from Maine, but he was saving for this, and wanted to share a bit of home with everyone. He also had put a barbecue on layaway at the local department store, and that day he was able to make the last payment on it and take it back. He arrived just as life was beginning to stir on the grounds, and he started to dig a hole as Skuld came out to go to the curb to met Sentaro. She looked at him curiously and said, "What are you doing?"

"Preparing a clambake," said Ian, "I set a fire in the hole, put a gridiron over it, boil some water, put seaweed on that, clams, seaweed, lobsters, seaweed, corn on the cob, seaweed, cover it with a tarp, and let it sit all day. Later on, we feast!"

"Ohh, it sounds great!" said Skuld, never having been to a clambake, and she said, "I thought there was going to be barbecue."

"Oh, that's in the trunk," he said, "I hope I can get it assembled before I get to work."

"You mean you have to build it," she said with a glow in her eye.

"Um…I get where you're going," said Ian, a bit trepidatious, "It sounds like you want to try your hand at it…but…"

"But what?" she said, all pouty.

"Look," said Ian, trying to be a big brother to her, even though, technically, she was older than he was, "You can do it, but I just want it by the instruction manual. I don't want it…how do I say this…pimped out."

She looked disappointed, but then she said with some concession in her voice, "I suppose…" and looked sad. Ian then said, "Hey, maybe after this, when you see how barbecue is done, you can add some things to it that would not take away from the fun of cooking it."

"The fun of cooking it?" she asked, confused.

"Hey, that's half the fun of barbecuing!" he said with a smile as he opened the trunk and set out the box, "Knowing you, you'd set this up to where everything is automated. Yet, part of it is the sense of creation, kind of like what you do when you build something."

She had to concede that point, stirring her foot into the ground a touch, and then she said, "Well, okay, but it just looks so plain."

"Believe me, it's exactly the way it needs to be, no more and no less," he answered, and then winked as he finished with, "…at least for now."

With the promise of later improvement, she then gleefully pulled out a box knife and started to attack the thing with relish. She was like lightning when it came to something as simple as this. However, as she built, she realized that, by doing it by the numbers, it would give her a better idea of how the thing was to work, and then she could make better improvements later on.

By this point, Belldandy had already been up and fixed breakfast, though now Ian and Megumi mostly ate what they bought. Belldandy thought it better that way, knowing she was helping to make that bond stronger. She then heard the movement outside, so she set the table, looked out to see Skuld just finishing, and Sentaro coming up to join her for breakfast before they went to school. She also saw Ian had already set the water to boil and laying the first layer of seaweed he managed to get from the fish market. She then saw the box of lobsters, and noticed something else. The lobsters were quite alive! She put two and two together on that, and realized what he intended. As he set down the box and started to lay the clams on the first layer, she came up and said, "Ian, those lobsters are alive."

"Well…yes…they are alive," he answered, confused.

"But…what do you intend to do?" she asked.

The lobsters themselves were clueless as to their fate, but because of who Belldandy was, and because of the normal and natural attraction animals seemed to have with her, they were all facing her way, their antennae trying to get a read of her. Yet, Belldandy could sense the confusion in them, and if he was going to do what he thought… She then said, "Well, are you not going to make sure they are asleep?"

Belldandy herself knew that meat was a common food amongst both humans and her kind, and cooking meat was no problem for her, because she knew it was all just part of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. However, she had never had to slaughter that meat, and preferred that it was all prepared first before she cooked it. Because she could talk to the animals, she also knew they were spirits as well, though a lower form of life, and thus she could never have been the one to bring herself to actually doing the slaughter, knowing that the animal would be begging her to stop. She looked at the lobsters and felt the same anxiety. She had never cooked lobster, however, and therefore, she was unaware of the truth of the thing. Ian then said, "Um…this is how it's done."

"You mean…_you__cook__them__alive_!" she exclaimed, "That seems so cruel!"

Ian could not believe what he was hearing, and he just stared at her, saying, "Uh…they're just lobsters…"

"They have feelings, too!" she protested.

Ian could not believe what he was hearing. She had prepared meat before, and never seemed to have an issue in doing so. Thus, he could not understand her anguish. He then said, "Hey, it's that 'circle of life' thing going down here…"

"Ian, you do not understand," she said, a bit teary-eyed, "They have spirits as well. I understand that we are the higher life forms, and that, to survive, sacrifices have to be made. However, because we are the higher life form, we can make a choice to be humane in the process."

"Sis," he said, disparaged, "There is no other way to cook a lobster. There is no way to anesthetize them, or put them out."

She then looked at him, saddened, saying, "How can people do this?"

Considering that she could talk to animals, Ian wondered if the lobsters were hearing any of this. Fortunately, he set the box far enough away for that not to be a problem, but he said, "Look, if it makes you feel any better, the way I am cooking them is better. It is going to be slow and painless for them. The other way is crueler to the 25th power, and that is to drop them into boiling water! Believe me: that is not a pretty sight! This way, they fall asleep, and are cooked before they know what's going on."

She looked at the lobsters, looked at Ian, looked at the lobsters again, and she said, "Yes, I know that sacrifices do have to be made sometimes, but that does not mean that I have to have a hand in being cruel."

Ian worried what she was going to do next, but she walked over to the box, opened it, and looked on that night's dinner. They looked up at her, saying, "Good morning, Miss Belldandy: it feels kind of dry here. Do you have some water for us?"

She locked up, knowing what she was about to do, but now she was not so sure. Ian said, "It's better this way. You cannot let them go here, because, even if they could survive in these waters, it may cause something in the water in the biology here that would make things very bad. It is dangerous to introduce foreign species to habitats from where they are not. They would just die anyway at the store."

She looked at the lobsters again, and she said, "I am sorry, but this is to help you. Do know there is moisture coming for you, but first, you need to rest."

She raised her hand and began to speak a spell, saying, "_O__spirit__of__slumber__and__rest,__heed__the__call__of__the__goddess__Belldandy,__and__give__rest__for__these__noble__creatures__of__the__deep__who__boldly__make__their__sacrifice__for__our__nourishment.__Enshroud__them__with__a__deep__peaceful__sleep.__O__goddess__of__the__earth,__grant__these__lowly__creatures__gain__a__higher__form__as__reward__for__their__sacrifice,__and__lift__them__up__again._"

With that, the lobsters, though not dead, stopped moving, and she said, "I believe I can be more at peace with it this way."

He just stared at her, a bit stunned, but he said, "Even though I know what I am now, and some of what I can do, you still never cease to amaze me."

She smiled, though still a touch sad, and said, "I hope that someday soon you can fully understand what great power you have been granted. Know that you do not have to always do things in the ways you know, for, with what you will be able to do, you can find higher and better ways for all involved."

He just looked down a touch, grinned, and said, "I am so grateful to have you as a sister, because you have taught me so much."

"Continue to learn and grow, dear brother," she answered, "And now, I am going to see about the chicken. You said to make sure it was partially cooked."

That snapped him out of it as he said, "Oh yeah, you do have to do that with chicken still on the bone. It's the only way to cook it on a barbecue."

That was about the moment Megumi stuck her head out and said, "Hey, babe—breakfast is ready!"

"I'll be right there," he answered as he finished setting the clambake. He knew this could be an interesting day.

After everyone had gone off to wherever they were headed, (Ian to work, and Skuld to school with Sentaro,) Chihiro arrived with Tamiya, Otaki, and the rest of the Auto Club, looking to get to work. By this point, Sigel had been repaired, and both she and Banpei were starting the chores to allow Belldandy time to practice with Keiichi. Normally, Megumi would have been out there with them, but she said she had other things to do that day. Yet, what she had to do had nothing to do with what was going on outside. She was going to do some snooping.

Apollyon sat on his makeshift throne with the eye to his forehead, watching the actions of Chibi Hild. "Interesting," he said, "It appears your former colleagues are rather resourceful."

Hagal, who was now relegated to menial manual labor by Apollyon, only gave a glance up to see about what he spoke. He then said, "Belldandy has allowed Hild's avatar to take the ring away from them! Talk about trust! If they knew the power the ring held, they might have taken action by now."

"Hild is not interested in that kind of power, or what you or Hagal seeks," grumbled Hagal, "She is a full believer in the doublet system."

"What you seek?" answered Apollyon, "I hardly think that the goals of both you and me even match."

He stared at her with a sinister grin when he said, that, and that turned Hagal's stomach. She tested this by saying, "If she knew the world for demons she could create with all the artifacts, she just might be after you."

"HA!" he snorted, "She has no interest in that! She knows that, though she may be the queen of demonkind, she knows her job is more than just creating misery. She is the goddess of death in that she tends to the souls of mortals after they die. She knows that part of her job is to usher them into their rewards, whatever they may be. She houses souls that are the most evil, and ensures they are punished, and provides just and good rewards in Niflheim for those good souls that don't deserve punishment, but do not quite have the goods to live in heaven. The heavenly host has no idea just how closely she works with the norns, though the norns may not fully understand this. This is why the Almighty had Urd with Hild: this makes the connection to the norns so that the fates of the souls on earth could be decided justly, and that Hild could keep her finger on that pulse to do things the right way. You have no idea just how off the reservation you are. Demons are not there just to be evil, but to see to it that fate is properly doled out. This is why Mara was such a fool for trying to awaken the Lord of Terror. The Almighty has his failsafe in the norns and in Midgard. The demons and the heavenly host ensure that people indeed to reap what they have planted. However, I, like you, despise how this system works. Yet, what you do not understand is, for things to be the right way, it all has to be destroyed and erased so it can be started again. You lack vision and imagination. No wonder they defeated you twice!"

Of course, Apollyon did not intend to start again, though normally he might have allowed it. Yet, because of the corrupting power of the eye, all he could see was destruction at its finest. Hagal, however, did not like what she saw, and was wondering if she had any way out.

Once back in the house, Megumi quickly tended to chores, and then went back to the laptop. She easily got in this time, and wondered where to go from there. She saw the "Demigods for Dummies" before, and she figured that this would be a great place to start. She clicked on it, and it was all in both English and in runes. "Great," she muttered to herself, "How am I going to read this?"

She scrolled the cursor over the middle of the screen and right-clicked, hoping that what she sought just might be an option. Once she did, the box came up, and she then saw the "language preference" mark in the box. "Yes!" she said again, "Just what I was looking for."

She clicked on it, selected Japanese, and then started to read. The introduction said, "So, you want to be a demigod, eh?"

She could see that, whoever put this together, they certainly decided to add some humor to this to make it more user-friendly. She continued to the first paragraph and read, "Okay, we know you already are one, because you would not be reading this otherwise. However, the world of being a higher power is one of great mystery and maybe even confusion to the uninitiated, and this book hopes to take away that mystery for you."

"World of being a higher power?" she thought, "What in the world is this all about? He can't think he's some kind of superman or something."

She was now beginning to wonder if those psychology courses were doing more harm than good. She then continued to read as it read, "In this book, you are going to learn something about the history of the demigod, what a demigod is, why they are around, their connection to the heavenlies, some of what they can do, and some practical applications."

It began to give a reading guide that helped to highlight important areas in each section and chapter, as well as juicy fun facts that enhance the reader experience by making it more readable and enjoyable to learn. Totally enraptured with this, she moved to chapter one, wondering what in the world this was all about.

She started on chapter one, which was entitled "What Is a Demigod?" It read, "In the workings of the planet Earth, there are times when misfortune gains the attitude that they need ascendancy when they do not, and cause needless problems for humans in general. Often, this can cause tragic results that were not needed—actions that stand outside what the fates have decreed were needed. Sadly, these poor humans do not have anywhere to where they can turn. They cry out to the heavens, flooding the switchboards of Yggdrasil to the point of causing our system administrators to rip out their hair, (and to see a bunch of bald goddesses running around is quite the sight!) The overload on the system was such that the Almighty decreed that there had to be some sort of control on this, and decreed two methods in dealing with the matter. The first, and more common, is to find certain individuals who have suffered from chronic misfortune needlessly and unfairly, and send forth a goddess from either the heaven or earth office to grant them a wish to help aid the situation."

"This is all way too unbelievable!" muttered Megumi, "This all seems like some kind of whacked out fairy tale!"

She wondered how in the world someone as intelligent and stable as Ian could believe in this fantasy, and then she worried about just how much of this he believed. If he bought this hook, line, and sinker, she knew HE might have to see a psychiatrist! She continued and read, "The other way was a more general aid, causing help and aid that was too immediate of a need to admit delay. This was the call for the hero."

It moved on to a new section in the chapter that was entitled "Man and Superman?" It read, "Okay, Robert Bernard Shaw tinkered with the concept in a comedy of manners, and Friedrich Nietzsche dealt with the concept of the 'ubermensch', yet, though there were chunks of what Nietzsche that were true, the real ubermensch were intended to uphold the concept."

Because Ian's Japanese was not yet as strong at the time, she had proofread one of his philosophy papers on that very philosopher which Ian called "If God Is Dead, He'd Better Have Been Right." She knew from the first day she met him his position of the existence of a higher power, and so she did not find this unusual, but he also dealt with this "superman" concept. Nietzsche had taught that the best way to prevent tyrants and dictators is to teach youth early on that, if one had ambitions of conquering the world, they should first try to conquer themselves. Once this was taught, and the youth applied it, the youth would soon learn that to conquer one's self was a greater conquest than conquering the world. When one was finally successful in conquering one's self, they would become an ubermensch—a superman. This was a person who would have total control of his faculties, emotions, and passions, and as a result, they would not be distractions to the superman. Once he achieved that, all that would remain was a clear vision of the situation of his fellow man, and a desire to help bring that person up to his level. Nietzsche pointed to certain people of the arts as an example because they are people that needed great discipline to be as creative as they were, and thus needed that kind of control over self. He made an exception for Wagner because he was an anti-Semite. Recalling this, she read on, "Though people can become heroes in the sense that Nietzsche taught, and help ease some of the sufferings of misfortune, there is only so much that they can do. Thus, the Almighty felt there was a need to have on the planet someone with the power and ability to correct the misfortunes and right wrongs, insuring that heavenly justice was spread around and done. To make doubly sure that this could be done right, romantic engagements from the heavens were needed, since this could not be any regular person."

She was now riveted on this. It seemed so fantastic, and yet it was written with enough care and details to seem sincere. Now she wondered if he was a part of some kind of cult. The next part of the chapter said, "How Is a Demigod, (or Goddess,) Made?"

Continuing with the touch of humor in the writing, it read, "…very carefully! Okay, so a demigod is not built like an Erector set. He…or she…has to be born. Simply put, a demigod or demigoddess is made by the liaison of a being from heaven with a being of earth. It can either be a god or goddess that can do this, but whoever is the divine side of things will create will depend where the demigod or goddess is born and how he or she is raised. If he or she is born on earth, normally, the child is completely oblivious to his or her heavenly connection. This creates an interesting situation for the parent on how the child is raised, and that depends on just how much the earthly parent, (normally, a mother,) knows about the partner to this. Often, the mother is left in the dark to the identity of her partner, and as a result, when the child shows signs of supernatural empowerment, it is then that heaven intervenes. If the child is born in heaven, then one of two things can happen. Either the child can be left with the earthy parent with the note that the heavenly partner will come back one day to teach the child, or the child can be raised in heaven and be fully taught who he or she is, and their purpose. Often, such a child is then introduced to their earthly parent at some point of their youth, and shown the need that earth has by it, instilling in the youth a greater sense of his or her purpose. If the child is in the dark to things, and starts to show signs of the change, intervention is swift before disaster can strike. However, the parent may not be in the dark to things, and if that is the case, the parent is often told not to say anything until the right time comes for him or her to be told in the right way."

"Well, if anything, this makes for a good story," she muttered, not certain why Ian would even care about this kind of thing. She then went to the next chapter that dealt with the history of the demigod on earth, and began to see certain characters that she had been introduced to in fairy tales and mythology, but they were introduced as if they really had been. She had to admit that the writers did take the time to show how legend had heavily embellished the stories, but she found it odd how they told what they claimed to be the real story, and acted as if this was gospel truth. In the end, it read, "In history, there have been only, at most, a handful of such heroes on the earth at any one given time, because the true use of demons by the heavenlies had to be allowed to go forth, and too much interference with the natural course of things is a bad thing for all involved. Thus, the creation of demigods and goddesses are sparing. However, the need is still there, and you—you lucky duck—could be the next person in the annals of legend! With that, we shall go on to describe the rank structure of heaven, and how a demigod or goddess fits into this picture."

There came a knock at the door, and she quickly closed the lid on the screen. "Can I help you?" said Megumi.

The door slid open, and it was Sigel, who said, "Ian wanted me to help with some of the housework so you could have a chance to help them out on the track if needed."

Megumi sighed a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that there may have been no way of explaining why she was in what she had to assume were private files. She figured this would be a good break and went to see how her brother and Belldandy were doing.

After seeing the tests that were going very well, she decided to slip back into her place and continue to read. The whole "rank structure" thing was eating at her. She could not believe what she was reading, but she had to learn more so she could confront Ian at the right time. The chapter was called "The Heavenly Host" and it dealt with how the heavens were structured with the supernatural beings that dwelt there. It read, "Though earth legends only have a limited amount of the gods and goddesses named, the truth of the matter is that, in heaven, there is a plethora of gods, goddesses, and spirits, creating divine offspring to tend to the needs of the whole universe. All are supernatural beings, many are nearly eternal, but only a handful is immortal. Some may enter service to the rulers, some may just live their lives, but the Almighty does all he can to have everyone employed in one aspect or another to aid all of heaven's endeavors, many serving on the Goddess Help Line."

This pointed to a side note, which read, "The Goddess Help Line is a direct result of the first form of aid to humans on earth. Because the number of gods and goddesses are great, they are able to give much in aid. If there is a need in the life of a human where they have not only seen much misfortune, but also have shown themselves to have a noble heart to be able to stay strong despite it all, are connected to the Goddess Help Line and sent a goddess to give them one wish. The fulfillment of this wish can be immediate, or it could call for a temporary residence with the client to ensure the wish is fulfilled. After the wish is granted, the goddess then informs the client that he or she is now going to be watched over by the goddess for as long as they live to ensure that the wish remains fulfilled, or to give further aid if the Almighty deems it needed. There are two rare cases where a goddess was granted leave to remain at the side of her client forever due to the nature of the wish. (The two goddesses shall be named in the main article.) However they serve, the Goddess Help Line is there to bring one half of the intended aid to the earth that the Almighty wanted."

She then went back to the main article and saw the flow chart that had the caption "Asgard's Leadership", which contained a note that said, "Alternate name for heaven."

Below it was a short article on each of the people named on the chart, but she started with the chart. At the top was one Odin, also known as the Almighty One, and his wife Frigga. Below them was a list of several children just below them in potential authority, but all equal in birthright, though there was a side note that stated, "Though birth puts them as equals, not all of them hold equal positions in authority depending on the need and their willingness to fulfill such roles."

Not sure what that meant, she started to read the names: Thor, Loki, Freya, the Valkyrie, the three Norns, and a few others. To the side, but not part of the bloodline was named a couple more gods named as equals, and then it went on to name some of their children who tended to minor functions and needs of humans. The flowchart then had a note below it that said, "All the other gods and goddesses are their children, who have their own rank structure to tend to the needs of their individual jobs."

It referred to the hunt, harvest, and other things of the cares of humans. She recalled that Ian had mentioned something about believing in something connected to the Norse religion, and this certainly had something to do with all of that. However, one thing she found interesting was the fact that these Norns—whoever they were—were not named. She went back to the box and saw three names there. The first one that caught her attention, though, made her jaw drop to the floor and her eyes bug out. If this had still been in English, the name would have read, "Verthandi," but because it was in Japanese, it took on the closest sound that the language could muster, and phonetically, it was "bay-rue-dandy." In other words, it was reading, "Belldandy."

Above and below it was "Urd" and "Skuld." "No…way!" she quietly exclaimed, and started to scroll down to their article. They had an earth painting of the norns at the Tree Yggdrasil, acting as gardeners to it—naked, as was the customs of the artists at the time—and marked with a beauty that people of the time would have considered beautiful. The caption said, "Wow! Can you believe the imaginations of some humans?"

Of course, the drawing looked nothing like the people she knew, knowing that Skuld was still a child in a sense, but the article said, "According to how the humans have depicted them, they are the three daughters of Odin who tend to the care of the Tree Yggdrasil, which gives energy and life to both the gods and to the earth, as well as helping the norns to determine the fates of mankind. However, as we all know, Yggdrasil is the main computer system that keeps all of Asgard's and Earth's functions running normally, as well as providing energy to the gods should the need arise for them to be on Earth. Many of the gods and goddesses have the job of aiding the norns in the function of this system, chief of them being Chrono, Ere, and Ex."

There was pictures of the three named goddesses, and she continued to read, "The shape of the main server has the semblance of a tree with branches, and the few humans of the past that have seen its full glory called it a tree for the lack of any better description. The job of the Norns is tending mainly to the fates of all humans. Urd tends to the past, Belldandy to the present, and Skuld to the future. However, at this writing, only one has the status of a first-class goddess with an unlimited license, and this is Belldandy. Skuld has just recently been granted her first-class."

A side note showed how it worked: class stated how power a god or goddess is allowed to use, category deals with the kind of job a goddess or god has. A first category is normally administrative and operated in heaven, while a second class allowed for earth contact. Restrictions showed how much power a god or goddess could use at any given time. In the case of unlimited, they have at their fingertips all the holistic powers of the universe, though, if working on the earth for a certain amount of time, they normally wear limiters because their power was too great for the earth to handle. The main article also made mention of how, by a wish, both Belldandy and Skuld would continue their Yggdrasil maintenance on the surface world due to the wishes of their clients. Urd was there for training in order for her to better learn to control her power, and for her to learn how not to lie to gain her own first class and get out of the first category. However, what stopped Megumi dead in her tracks for a time were the pictures of the "clients" aforementioned, and they were none other then Sentaro…_**and**____**her**____**brother!**_ The pictures of the norns were indeed the people she knew, and now she looked towards the wall as she heard the whine of the engine as the bike made its way around the track. She was breathing hard, and she was close to hyperventilation. She knew that Belldandy had told her time and time again that she was a goddess, and she had a contract with Keiichi, but she had always wrote it off to some kind of eccentricity on the part of Belldandy, but now… She finally shook herself out of her trance and went back to the book. She went to the part in where the demigod came into play, and stated that his rank would depend on who was his heavenly parent, and that would then determine how much power to which he or she would take on one day with first-class unlimited. It seemed that even demigods needed some kind of bureaucracy behind them as well. She then thought, "_Well,__if__this__pertains__to__Ian,__I__need__to__find__out__where__he__plays__into__this!_"

She now knew it was all true now. She had to believe it—how could she now not? No more could she be an atheist, because the divine had been all around her, and she, like a fool, had not seen things for what they were: the secrecy, the mysterious happenings, how Belldandy always held herself. She clicked off the book and went to his e-mail. After reading a few, she now learned that his mother had been transfigured into a glorified state and taken to heaven to live, but what floored her was who his father was—_**none**____**other**____**than**____**the**____**Almighty**____**himself!**_ At that precise moment, she heard Ian's voice as he was stating he was about to start up the barbecue, and that everyone needed to bring their second stomachs. She left the Yggdrasil site and turned off the computer, now having a flood of emotions roaring through her mind. She was happy, said, angry, depressed, awestruck, and enraged all at the same time. Her next question was just how to ask about this. Because she had been subversive in gaining this information, she had not much room to be all that angry. However, the fact that _Ian_ had not yet told her everything started to get her feeling more angry and betrayed than anything else. "Forget it," she said through her teeth, "If this is the way it is, then this is the way it is. However, I want answers!"

Outside, there was the common banter and discussions over that day's successful test. It was ready for an open road test, and then the time would come to formulate their strategy. Everyone was happy about how things were going, as Skuld and Sentaro had joined them by this point. Both Keiichi and Belldandy were a touch tired from all the laps they took, but they were happy things were going so well. Ian then said, "Hey, I'm going to clean up and get on some more casual clothes for this. Tamiya, could you fire up the grill for me?"

"Hey, no problem!" he thundered, "I am starving, and it sounds like you have a good feed for us!"

"I sure do!" said Ian, "You're going to love this!"

However, just as he was heading towards the guesthouse, Megumi slid open the door hard, stomped out, pointed to Ian, Belldandy, and Keiichi, and snapped, "You, you, and you…I need a word with you in private!"

All three looked shocked at this, but they also saw that now was not the time to ask what had gotten into Megumi, and they all followed her quietly to a remote area in the woods behind the temple. Once there, she stared at all three of them with fire in her eyes, and said in the best English she could muster, "Okay, Lucy, you've got some splainin' to do!"

7


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: To Tell the Truth

Belldandy was distressed at Megumi, her aura shifting the whole color spectrum. She was not sure just how she felt at that moment, so she asked, "Megumi, why are you so upset?"

"You…I'm not upset at you," said Megumi firmly, "You've always said that you were a goddess, and very detailed about it at that. I just figured that it was a part of your eccentricities and wrote it off, but you were telling the truth."

"Oh, but of course," said Belldandy with a smile, despite Megumi's mood, "I have always told you the truth."

"Yeah," responded Megumi, "and you've done some pretty spectacular things very publicly as well, as if you were not afraid of letting people know."

"But, why should I fear that?" asked Belldandy, "I am who I am."

"But you two," snapped Megumi as she shifted her gaze, "You wanted to keep this from me!"

Keiichi started to plea his case, saying, "But, you have to understand: could you imagine all the prying eyes and harassment we would get if they knew someone like Belldandy was on the earth? No one would get any peace. I'm not worried about someone taking her, because I know she could handle herself. Yet, you have to think how things would be."

"That's not the point!" Megumi answered and glared back, "A contract?... Keiichi, is she your love slave or something? I mean, did you have to get so desperate a woman that you would entrap a goddess for your pleasure. Geez! How can you stand to be with him at all, Belldandy?"

"Megumi, now you are talking through your emotions," answered Belldandy firmly, to which Keiichi snapped, "Hey, now you're sounding ridiculous!"

Belldandy cut in and said, "Megumi, you must trust me when I tell you that I have been watching your brother for a long time…ever since he was a child, and I have loved him so. However, because of my duties on the Goddess Help Line, I had no ability to come to him, as I always wanted. Yet, because of the wish he made, it gave me an excuse and a chance to be with him. I now know that my father…the Almighty…allowed me this, because he does care for both your brother and me greatly. We indeed love each other, and I do want to be at his side forever, just as he had wished."

Keiichi now smiled and blushed a touch to hear those words again, knowing that her love for him was indeed deep. Megumi paced a touch, and she said, "So you only kept it a secret for her sake?"

"Yes, because I don't want people hounding her," he answered, "I'm not trying to be selfish with her…honest."

"But you couldn't tell me?" asked Megumi, still feeling a touched betrayed, "And you, Mr. I-Always-Tell-The-Truth…you couldn't tell me either?"

Ian was flustered. He had read her psychologically already, and he had had plenty of time to analyze her. He knew that her personality was such that, if something was on her mind, she would speak it clearly, which made him worry. He feared that she would overreact, considering how he had observed that she spoke assumptions she made as something that was fact. In other words, she would jump to conclusions, and her slight overconfidence in all things caused her to assume assumptions were truth. Besides all that, he was not sure how she could take things if she knew everything right away. Certainly, if things had not been handled correctly with him, and he had been introduced to things the right way, he may have gone crazy, and he did not want to give her the whole thing in one chunk, lest she proverbially choke to death on the matter. He then said, "Megumi, I never lied," answered Ian, "I…just didn't say anything."

"Hold on, Ian," said Keiichi, knowing how to answer this, knowing her the best out of the three she was grilling, "Look how you're acting right now. If we had told you, how would you have reacted? Would you have gone crazy?"

"No," answered Megumi matter-of-factly, "I would have thought it neat. I mean, I would have thought you crazy at first, but if you had shown me what I have seen…"

"Wait," Ian cut in, "You must have been snooping around on my computer, were you not? Now, who was betraying who?"

He stared at her, she started to squirm a bit, and she said, "Hey, I mean, we've been together for a time now… I mean, why would you keep this a secret from me? I figured what was yours was mine, and what was mine is yours?"

"That doesn't mean that I would wear your underwear, either," said Ian, showing her how that statement smacked a touch of the ridiculous, "As you have areas that are sacred to you, so do I."

"Sacred areas?" she snapped, being all big eyed with him, "We sleep in the same bed and have taken baths together! What have I not held back from you?"

"Everyone has areas that are special and private, no matter how intimate a…" Ian started to say, but Megumi cut him off and snapped, "Don't give me that psychobabble junk…that won't…"

Ian got some steel in his voice and said, "I WILL give it to you, because, despite it all—despite my love for you—speaking in that way is what I do, facts are facts!"

Megumi stepped back a bit in fear, not sure now what was going to happen. He was not trying to sway anything divine, but because of one-half of him, he exuded something that brought instant awe and respect from humans and fear when it seemed that such was angry. She wanted to snap back for his sharp tone, but for some reason, she felt no power to do so. "Everyone—even the goddesses—have areas that must remain private to them, because it is a place to retreat from the world they know when the have to: everyone does this! When someone slips into that world when they were not welcome, that can be seen as betrayal, and that has single-handedly destroyed many relationships! I feel betrayed because YOU just _had_ to know everything when I wasn't ready to tell you! I was going to tell you, and soon. Yet, right now, there is a bit of a crisis going on in the supernatural that is beyond anything you can do anything about, yet, you having knowledge about this, and knowing the way you are, this would not be a good combination. Besides, our foe may just try to use you to manipulate us, and because I am not quite up to snuff on what I can do—for I am still learning—I fear they could use you as a pawn…and I wouldn't want to fail you if I was found to be too weak."

He suddenly seemed vulnerable at that moment, and Megumi calmed a bit at seeing this. She took a moment to let what he said sink in, and then she said, "But…even if I did not know, they could still try to use me. In that case, I needed to know this a lot sooner."

She moved in, took his hands, and said, "You talk about trust…then, please, trust me that I won't become silly if I were to learn the truth. Because of what you just said, we cannot have secrets between each other. There is nothing about me that I have not told you, because I trust you that much. Sure, people have their…well…I guess what you would call 'happy place', but, Ian, even your books and classes won't tell you that those private places can sometimes be even better when shared by two. Ian, this has to be hard for you—learning about what you really are, handling school, a job, and a relationship. You are strong, but there is a weak and open side of you that is vulnerable and fragile, and that is what attracted me to you. There is so much about life you don't know, and I want to help you learn. Please, don't try to handle this by yourself. Let me in all the way. Please, let me in? I know this has to be because of that fragile side. You have been hurt—you shared that much with me, and by your class notes, I have learned enough about what you know to say that you fear losing all of this, right? Were you scared of losing me if I knew?"

Ian could not be mad anymore, and she was dead on the money. She was right. Ian began to cry some, and tried to hold it back. She just hugged him saying, "Ian…let it go. It's not good to hold it."

He started to cry openly now, realizing that he was trying so hard to keep this relationship that he actually could have driven her away because of it. Belldandy had her arm intertwined with Keiichi's, leaning her head on his shoulder, tearing up herself to see that her brother was gaining something he would need to keep him going, and made her feel even closer to Keiichi. Megumi was more attracted to Ian now than ever before, as a mother instinct kicked in, and an instinct to nurture him came through. She couldn't leave him now: she knew too much, but it made her love him even more. She then said, "It's okay, big guy…no more tears. I love you. Yet, please, no more secrets. Don't fear losing me, because, now, there is nothing you could do to get rid of me."

Keiichi couldn't help himself as he then added, "Boy isn't that true! I've been trying to get rid of her for years, but she keeps coming back like a boomerang."

Megumi was snapped into a different mindset by that statement, and she was playfully slapping Keiichi all over and saying, "Hey…what was that supposed to mean? You don't love your little sister?"

Ian, who had been crying, suddenly could not help himself at the sight, it forced him to laugh in spite of himself, and Belldandy began to join him, knowing how she had been in her younger years with her own sister. She indeed loved the family that was forming.

Before long, they came back, and Ian took over the grill. While they prepared for dinner, and the music played, another meeting was taking place. The Three Ninjas were discussing the matter, having fended off an attack and after the odd wreck the day before. They were concerned that they knew little else about what was happening, and thus they needed to act for their mistress Belldandy and get as much information as they could about their foe. In fact, because they wanted to keep this secret, they were actually in a private lair in the kitchen. Well, it was a rat hole in the wall, but it was the only thing available where they knew prying eyes would not think to look. Kodama then said, "The best place to start is to investigate the known demons in the area."

"That would mean Mara, right?" asked Hikari.

"Yes," answered Kodama, "This would call on your skills, Nozomi."

"Well, in this case, she has plenty of rats around," answered Nozomi, "And if there is a need for distraction, then we need to keep them busy while I gather information."

"Then, how do we do this?" asked Kodama.

The three looked at each other, and then looked over at their host, seeing him feast away on some peanuts, forgetting he was hosting guests, and they said, "Gan-chan: your expertise is needed for this mission!"

"Hmm?" mumbled Gan as he looked over, still chewing on his food.

"Yes," continued Kodama, "We need you for a very important mission to aid our mistress Belldandy."

Gan brightened and said, "For her, I'd do anything!" all lovey-eyed. They all smiled and said, "Good…your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go into Mara's hideout and mingle with the rats there. Start asking questions and see what you can learn about the activity with Mara and Chibi Hild."

"Oh sure I…" and he suddenly stopped, and swallowed hard, saying, "Hey, wait…that girl is trouble! I can't go in there! She does horrible things to rats!"

The three glared at him, knowing that they had been transformed into the ninjas they were from rats thanks to Mara, and they said, collectively, "So…we are horrible things?"

"Hey, wait, I didn't mean it like that!" he yelped, fearing for his hide at that moment. Yet, before anything went further, Urd's avatar…essentially Urd…stood by his side, saying, "Sure you can do this! We can help you!"

"Yeah!" chirped Skuld, standing next to him, "With our help, you can't go wrong!"

"That's what I fear!" he grumbled, to which Urd said, "Say, what's that supposed to mean?"

Kodama then said, "So much for the secret meeting!"

Ignoring them, Skuld said, "Come on, Gan-chan: think of all the good you'll be doing!"

"I just want to come home alive!" he said, all worried.

"Fear not!" said Nozomi, "I'll be right there watching. I won't let anything happen to you!"

Before he knew it, the girls had Gan dressed like a rat ninja, looking more like a ninja out of Kabuki Theater rather than being his normal self. All he could say was, "I have a bad feeling about this!"

Ian had plenty of food on the plates, with plenty of potato salad and condiments for the diners. He then asked Tamiya to take back over as he went to the place where the clams and lobsters were. He lightly lifted aside the tarp to keep the sand out of it and started to take off the seaweed layers. First came the corn, then the lobsters, and then the clams. He smiled hungrily over the clams, seeing the shells had opened in that way that told him they were cooked just right. With that, he brought that back to the table, but Belldandy still could not look at the lobsters, knowing how she had connected with them just before she had put them to sleep for their trip to the pit. As everyone began to dig in, she avoided the lobsters. Ian looked confused and said, "Hey, you don't want one?"

She shook her head and said, "I am not against eating meat, but, knowing how they spoke to me before…"

Ian just rose and eyebrow and said, "You'll eat the clams and the steak, but not the lobsters. Bell…they're animals."

"That doesn't mean they are not souls," she answered.

"And yet you'll eat meat," he said, "Weren't they souls as well?"

"I…don't…" she mumbled, confused a touch. Ian sighed and said, "As a higher being than even humans, or even me, I would not think you would act like that."

"Forgive me," she answered, "Being a goddess, we really do not need food. We can eat, but it is more of a luxury than a need."

"Well, I guess not knowing the need of hunger and such would cause you to be confused," answered Ian, "Being that you don't need to eat, you cannot understand how humans, as predators, think."

That caught her interest, seeing that she was always looking to increase her knowledge of the human condition to better connect with Keiichi. She then said, "Humans see themselves as predators?"

"Absolutely," said Ian, "Ever since mankind was left to the wiles of nature, they have had to become predators to survive, because plant based foods have not always been available, and humans have to eat. Therefore, eating meat became par for the course, even though a human's digestive system has been able to digest anything it eats anyway. Father sure knew what he was doing when he made mankind. I mean, he designed humans to be omnivores, just to be able to live if plants and fruits were not there."

"Is this why they can butcher animals so easily?"

"It seems that way. I mean, they cannot get all that close to the animals; otherwise, the humane side of them would cause them to starve, rather than to eat when they know they should. If you are lost in the wilderness, one has to do what they have to. It's not that humans are just out and out cruel, but being the top of the food chain on the land, well, if they want to live, not only do they have to do this, they can also pick and choose who lives and dies. Isn't that what you, as one of the fates, must decide on humans?"

That caught her, and he was right. She then said, "You have been studying your book, have you not? Yes, it is true; father left it up to my sisters and me to make such determinations, but such choices are not without proper determination."

"Humans do the same things with animals," answered Keiichi, "And, as you must do what you must, so must humans. Just as much as you have to say to a soul who then goes on to meet his afterlife, 'Sorry, but this must be', you do what you must. I have to think that you have to shut off your emotions in this regard, otherwise, how could you do your job?"

She sighed and said, "I tell you, there is so much in the human condition that parallels our own, except what we do can have cosmic and eternal consequences, and thus, we are very careful when choosing."

"So am I," said Ian, "Because this is going to be one of the rare times I can have lobster. It is expensive here…very expensive. Although I now have the ability to go back to Maine when I want, and get them cheaply, I don't have it often, due to the effort it takes to make them. Thus, know I don't do this often."

He then took one of the lobsters, broke off the tail, and said, "Just give it a try. Here's some melted butter. Don't think of it as being cruel; think of it as honoring him because his life meant others may also live. Not eating him now would be disrespectful to his sacrifice."

It was odd logic, but it did make some sense. With that, she tried it, and the exquisite taste she now experienced made her forget all about the plight of the beast. "This is quite good," she said, "Thank you, dear lobster, for now people will be able to live another day because of your noble sacrifice. May you find peace in the hereafter, or a better life to follow this one."

"Um…yeah…" said Ian, not sure how to take a eulogy for a lobster, but just let it go.

As they ate and talked, Megumi was now having it sink in over what he had learned. Her boyfriend was a demigod; her brother was dating a goddess, and living with three goddesses. Yet, they all interacted with one another as if they were all normal humans, and if it was not for the marks on their faces, one could not have told who was human and who was not. It was now all weird, and she did not know where this would lead. All she could do was stare at the "higher beings" and think about all of what this meant. Keiichi noticed this and shoved some clams on a plate into her hand, saying, "Hey, why the blank look on your face?"

"Now that I know the truth, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it?" she answered.

"Why do anything?" he asked in return, "I've learned to live with it. You can, too."

"Well, this is so…well…creepy. I mean, it almost doesn't seem right. I mean, you may be shocked to hear this, but, despite being together the way we have, would you believe we haven't gone beyond fooling around?"

"That does seem a bit hard to believe, but, I haven't done anything close to that with Belldandy, except for something she can do…well, it's hard to explain."

"Well, why haven't you?"

"You tell me first."

"I dunno…I just…you know, it's weird. Neither of us has said anything, but it seems that going all the way is just not the right thing right now…as if there was something more special for which we both wait. Now, it's different: I'd feel like I'd be defiling his super-ness, or whatever you'd call it…or something."

"I think I know how you feel. We've waited because, well, I guess I just want to be confident that the Almighty wouldn't disapprove over taking things that far. I mean, he allowed us to be together, but, at the same time, she's his daughter. I can imagine how an earthly father would be if he did not like what his daughter was doing with another. Could you imagine the Almighty One getting that angry?"

She gave him a look that seemed to say, "That is something that I would not want to imagine!"

Keiichi then said, "Because of who she is, and because I respect what the Almighty has allowed me, I would rather gain approval from every step in the relationship from him, knowing it was okay."

"Seems like an awkward thing, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but, I've learned to live with it. You can too."

"This is such a strange world we live in."

"Yeah, but, you know, for some reason, I've always felt that you and I have been meant for something special. I don't know why, but that's how it seems. I can't think it any other way."

"With heaven on our sides, how could we go wrong?"

He smiled, they laughed, and continued to enjoy the evening with the others.

Before long, Skuld and Urd joined the goings on, but as the schmoozed in the setting sun, Ian looked at Urd suddenly look over at the ground and give a thumb's-up to something. Ian looked to see what looked like a rat-sized girl in oriental clothes with a rat dressed like a ninja, and both returning the gesture to Urd. Ian looked back at her and Urd said, "Hey, don't worry about it. We're just getting some eyes out there on things."

He wanted to ask further, but considering how odd the day had been, he just let it go, wondering if there was such a thing as learning too much truth, wondering if there were times you indeed wanted to let sleeping dogs lie.

Oh My Goddess Omake #2

(This is going to be a running series of Omake for the story, totally unrelated to the plot, and written just for fun!)

(The scene shifts to a television studio in heaven with an audience full of the heavenly host—mostly goddesses. The lights come on to a stage decorated befitting a talk show in heaven with three couples sitting on love seats. The lights come up to an incredibly beautiful goddess with long blond hair and a flowing dress, with a beauty rivaling, and even surpassing, Belldandy's.)

Freya: Welcome once again ladies and gentlemen to another episode of Goddess Today. I'm your host—Freya, goddess of love!

(Thunderous applause follows.)

Freya: Today we shall be discussing love between humans and the divine: is it right, and can true love ever be achieved between the two. I have asked my siblings to come on the show, all of whom have human partners, and, for perspective, I have invited Ostre, goddess of fertility and spring, to help explain how such relationships can blossom. First, I have Belldandy, goddess over the present, with her boyfriend Keiichi, my little sister Skuld, with her boyfriend Sentaro…

Skuld: Hey…who you calling little.

Sentaro: (rubbing back of neck, nervous about the whole thing) Um…boyfriend…have we gotten that far, yet?

Skuld: Shh…it's good for TV.

Freya: …and earth's new hero, demigod Ian—who has yet to select a divine name over his earthly name—and his girlfriend Megumi.

(Thunderous applause again.)

Megumi: (whispering to Keiichi) Tell me again why we agreed to this?

Keiichi: (looking dejected) Ask Urd the next time you see her!

Megumi: you mean we were set up.

Keiichi: That's about the size of it. Next time, remind me to always read over something Urd asks me to sign.

Megumi: Oh…that's what that was?

Belldandy: Oh, this is so much fun!

(Both Megumi and Keiichi sit there with dark clouds over their heads, wondering just how much fun "fun" was going to be.)

6


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: When the Cat's Away…

Nozomi and Gan were both making their way through the pipe work of the abandoned building that Chibi Hild and Mara used for a hideout, moving along as stealthily as could be expected, considering Gan's lack of training in this regard. Nozomi was at first questioning why he was even there, and she then kept reminding herself that he was the distraction. He would draw enough action from his bumbling to allow her to move about unnoticed. She feared what would happen to her if Mara ever got her hands on Nozomi again. She wondered if Mara still considered her a traitor for joining Belldandy's side, yet, she also was forced to ask, after what had happened the fall before, if they even considered each other foes anymore. Certainly, it seemed that things had settled, though Mara still felt like she wanted to cause them mischief. Breaking up the central couple did not seem as much of a priority any longer, but that did not mean that misfortune could no longer befall them. She shook her head and refocused herself from these thoughts, knowing she had a mission: learn what these two knew about Apollyon, and then see if they could infiltrate that lair and gather more information.

They now overlooked the central living area where Mara and Chibi Hild held court, Chibi Hild having just returned from Niflheim after securing the ring. She wanted to move in closer, but she also knew that the rats around there were their spies and warning system, so now was the time Gan could get involved. Some of the rats were like Gan, but Mara enhanced others mentally, and three even acted as scientists for her schemes. She looked at Gan and said, "Gan-chan, now is your time: get ready to deal with the rats while I go in."

"Right!" he said as he snapped to attention and bowed before her, and started to go, but then stopped and said, "Um…just what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know," she said, "Fight, eat, or talk about the baseball Giants? Just keep them busy."

He nodded, still not sure what it was that she wanted, but scurried off anyway and headed down to where it seemed they were congregating. She shook her head, not certain she would see him alive again, but set up her lanyard and started to lower herself down, knowing that, sometimes, for the mission to be a success, sacrifices have to be made.

Gan arrived at what looked like a cheese eating party, and he looked at himself, realizing that the look Urd gave him made him stand out like a meat bun in an Indian restaurant. He tossed those aside and just moseyed his way in, acting as if he belonged there. At first, they paid him no mind, but then one stuck his nose in the air and said, "Hey, that's a different smell."

"Yeah," answered another, "It smells like good cooking…nothing like the ready meals that Mara brings back here."

"Sure," said a third, "She couldn't cook to save her life!"

They all started laughing, and even Gan was pretending to laugh with them in hopes of not being noticed. However, someone put smell with personage, and said, "Hey, you…I haven't seen you around here before. Who are you?"

"Who me?" asked Gan, not certain where to go with it and he just said, "Well…uh…I've…just…well…it got dangerous at my old home…yeah! They go a cat, and he's been causing carnage there."

Some of them looked horrified, but a few said, "Aw come on…wasn't there enough rats with you to take care of that flea bag?"

"Well, it's really just been me, you know," he bluffed, "Um…a family restaurant."

"That explains your scent," answered another, they began to relax with the stranger, and they then began to act how rats normally do when they meet and accept a new rat into their fold: they pounced on him and started to groom him. "Really, you don't have to…it's good…I…ooh, this feels good!"

It was not quite the disaster he thought it would be, but it was causing the needed distraction as Nozomi moved in.

Nozomi got herself on the top of the couch and pulled out her climbing claws, going down the side of the couch just below head level and crawled to where Mara was. She then pulled out a rat-sized recording device, (designed and build by Skuld,) and began to record the conversation. She had no idea how long she could go undetected, but she was going to get as much as she could. Mara then said, "So, did you hide it well…whatever that was?"

"Why would you be concerned on how well it was secure?" responded Chibi Hild, "that is, unless you looked in when I said not to."

She froze a touch, knowing that she may have been discovered, and she said, "Well, you seemed to think is was important enough for people not to know what was in the box, so I figured it was something that needed to be secured well."

"True," answered Chibi Hild, "I mean, you must have thought the ring pretty."

"Oh yes," she said, "It seemed to be forged well. I…oops!"

Chibi Hild gave Mara a sinister look and she said, "Well, you just couldn't keep your hands off it, could you?"

"No, it's not like that, milady!" waffled Mara, "You see…"

Chibi Hild, not relenting, said, "Do you still have it?"

"No, I put it back into the box when…I mean, that is…" spouted Mara in a decent Freudian slip, and now she was afraid all the hellfire of Niflheim's punishment sector was about to fall on her when Chibi Hild broke out into laughter. Chibi Hild then said, "Oh, I wish I could have been there to watch you suffer! That ring is nothing but a misfortune machine!"

Mara turned beet red, knowing that things like that indeed happened. Chibi Hild, still laughing, said, "Well, you have to have put it back, or else this building may have collapsed by now!"

Nozomi's eyes went wide in the description of the ring. She knew that mistress Belldandy had given it over, but she never knew the ring could cause so much. Chibi Hild then said, "Maybe it was good that you did that. The burned hand learns best!"

"What would have happened if Apollyon got the ring?" asked Mara, trying to get the spotlight off her.

"Even though it causes misfortune," answered Chibi Hild, "Wisdom's eye would have allowed the user to turn that into a form of attack, making it proverbially a ring of fire to he who wears it. However, the eye has corrupting powers as well. Thus, with that, all the user could think to do was destroy senselessly."

"But, that means that Apollyon would have no wish to set up a new world!" Mara said in horror.

"With that mindset, it would be the end of everything as we know it and with nothing to replace it. It would make what the lord of terror wanted to do look like a two-year old's temper tantrum! Even if the Almighty were to send Midgard and Fenrir after him, in that state, he would be nearly unstoppable. It would take the combined effort of every deity and demon in the universe to confront him. I shudder to think of the collateral damage that would be caused in stopping him. However, with the coif, he could then have an almost omniscient mind because of the eye, and thus every move we could make could be anticipated and stopped. This is why the three are never to come together. This would be a good way to see the Earth split into five easy pieces."

"Do we even know where he's hiding?"

"As far as we have been able to learn, he's been hiding out in an abandoned dry cleaning facility, and one that was the biggest in the city. It's big enough to hold him in his normal form. I bet that, right about now, he's been making Hagal and Halval rue they day they ever met him."

"Why don't we try something, then?"

"Not yet…I want to see what those at the temple are planning. If the other three don't know that the ring is gone, they may go for the temple and turn their hand. Then we can act!"

Nozomi nodded, knowing this would be valuable, and kept a close listen while wondering how things were going with Gan.

Gan, by this point, was managing to schmooze well with the other rats, sharing stories, and bragging about adventures he had taken. However, because he had become so relaxed, he began to use the names of the goddesses, and that would end up his undoing. Many of the other rats thought nothing of it. However, three rats who were wearing lab coats overheard this, and they realized that he had fibbed about the whole restaurant thing. They moved in and said, "Wait a minute…how do you know those three names?"

"Well I…" Gan started to say, and then suddenly realized he had been too loose lipped.

One of the three in the lab coats said, "If you're here, that can only mean trouble. Secure him!"

"But…he's so cool," some protested, while others said, "Who cares? He's here now…he's harmless!"

At this, an argument started amongst the rats, and all kinds of squealing was taking place to the point where it began to distract the conversation of the two demons. Chibi Hild rolled her eyes and said, "Can't you keep that vermin quiet?"

"Grr," growled Mara, "I'll try to shut them up."

However, the sudden movement caused Nozomi to lose her grip. She managed to grab the claws again, but now the sudden shift in weight caused them to dig in a bit deeper and put more pressure on them. She now slid down the back of the couch, the sound of splitting cloth was heard, and Mara was instantly behind the couch. She spied the noisemaker, and she turned quite angry at the sight. She snatched up Nozomi quickly and said, "So, what have we here?" she said with a scowl, "A little traitor I see!"

Nozomi's nostrils flared, knowing that this could be the end, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve. Mara scowled and said, "Perhaps a dissection of you while you're alive could yield much knowledge after your transformation! Boys…!"

The three science rats came to her right away and said, "What can we do for you?"

"Time for experiments!" she shouted, but before Mara could give Nozomi over, Nozomi pulled out a clarinet and started to play. From every direction came little ninjas like cockroaches. Though Chibi Hild knew well that Hild had the ring well hidden, she wondered if residual misfortune was still floating around Mara. She decided to leave before some kind of answer came forth! Mara looked around for Chibi Hild, and then she cursed under her breath realizing that, once again, she had been left holding the bag. She then screamed as they swarmed her.

As the barbecue progressed, and the music and beer flowed, the spirits were high, and Sora was drunk as usual, complaining about her appearance and trying graphically to prove that she wasn't in middle school. At this, Keiichi's cell phone went off and he answered it. He then heard a faint voice speak, and he said, "The cows are in the barn and the wheat is eaten? Who is this?"

Urd quickly snatched it and said, "Sorry…it's for me."

"I have information on the eye," she said, "It was interesting extracting ourselves from that."

"How's Gan-chan?"

"You don't want to know."

He was in the phone kiosk with her, shivering and muttering, "I'm not meant for this life! What was I thinking?"

"Well, as long as he's still alive," answered Urd, "Anyway, what did you find out?"

"I found out where Apollyon is, and the eye!"

"Okay, that's good, but what are you going to do?"

"Send the other two ninjas to me. We'll infiltrate and steal the eye!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I am serious! They wouldn't expect someone like us to act. Besides, Kodama's illusion abilities rival Hagal's, and that would give us a chance."

Urd thought about it, and she said, "How soon could you get this."

"It shall be ours by sunrise, or we shall die trying."

"Okay, don't get so serious! Just be careful. You have nothing in which to contain the eye, and that thing corrupts whoever gets it."

"Roger! I'll be sending Gan-chan back. He actually did a good job…Nozomi out!"

With that, the phone hung up, to which Urd gave it back to Keiichi and went to tell the other ninjas.

Later that evening, the ninjas arrived at the building. They looked in to see that Apollyon had grown quite corrupt. Halval had come back to check on Hagal, and she was also instantly captured and forced into slavery to him, and by this point, he had them both dressed in racy French maid lingerie. They were both tending to the menial tasks of the place, their power now being dwarfed by the power Apollyon now wielded with that eye. As he sat their in his human disguise, he began to get a sinister and perverted eye with them. The two looked up to see this, and they shuddered, wondering just what was going to happen. He then signaled to the two and said, "Come here and give me some mouth love…both of you!"

They both swallowed hard, and became enraged and frightened at the same time; revolted that he was now demanding they turn tricks with him, and at the same time too scared to resist. They had no clue as to what to do. However, he reached out a hand, and now they were being drawn to him involuntarily. Suddenly, they stopped, and they saw the smile on his face as if he was really enjoying something. In reality, nothing was happening, but Hagal sensed the magic that comes with the creation of illusions. Yet, it was not her. She would not even dared try this, which meant…

She looked around with supernaturally enhanced eye and spotted the three ninjas, and detected which one was causing the illusion. She was not about to stop them, but she was also concerned why they were even there in the first place. Yet, she also knew there was only so long that this would work, in that, the eye would eventually show Apollyon what was happening, but this was the best chance they would get to snatch the eye from him. Halval took Hagal's cue and suddenly dropped the darkness on them all. Apollyon suddenly stopped, realized what was happening, and started to put the eye to his forehead to see past the trick, and had it snatched from his hand. "WHAT!" he thundered, and now, though being Apollyon, was just as lost in the dark as anyone else would have been. However, before she could relish in the victory, she felt something move fast across her hand, and then realized the eye was gone! The darkness went away, and Halval saw Hikari swinging up into the rafters with the eye. "DESTROY THAT PEST!" both Hagal _and_Apollyon shouted, both for their own reasons. Halval then said, "But, how did she…" and she was cut off by Kodama shouting, "We ninjas don't always have to rely on sight to fight! Even in your total darkness, we can act!"

Apollyon started to move, but Kodama made it seem like the place was swarming with ninjas their size, and then Nozomi started to play her clarinet again, bringing in real ninjas with the exact same clothing. Hagal could easily see through an illusion, but with the real thing mixed in, it was hard to tell what to avoid. By this point, Apollyon was transforming, but it was too late. The eye was gone. The corruption was now leaving him and he was returning to his right mind, yet the rage was still there. He snapped around to the two demons and snarled, "You two…go get them!"

Hagal just sneered and said, "You want them, get them yourself!"

"HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!" he thundered, and he prepared to lash out, but before he could act, there was a brief moment of darkness, a sonic attack, and then he was alone. His scream shook the ground!

Not too far away, Hagal was happy that the control over her and Halval was broken, yet at the same time, despised the fact that they had lost the eye altogether. Halval thought for a few moments, and then she said, "Do we go to Hild?"

"Are you crazy, you fool?" thundered Hagal, "She would tear us apart! Do not even suggest going to the norns and that stinking flea of a brother they have. I would not even consider joining sides with them, though we have a mutual enemy. Hagal and Halval shall handle this in our own way! There are only two other sides, though, that would have done this. Therefore, you go to the temple and see what is happening there, and Hagal shall spy out Mara. Above all, we must give the eye back, or all is lost. Apollyon is yet a rogue factor, though, and Hagal now must watch for that factor, as well as you. He shall be on the warpath for anyone and everyone."

All she knew was that Hell was going to descend on Chiba City real soon.

Oh My Goddess Omake # 3

Freya: Now, for some people, they would have no problem with this kind of relationship. They might ask, "Who cares in the grand scheme of things? It is their business."

Yet, there are some voices that would say otherwise.

(A screen came on to a blackened silhouette.) Here is one of the dissenting voices who wish to stay anonymous. For now, we shall her Mary. Mary, why is this such a bad thing?

Mary: (a voice distorter is affecting the voice) It's despicable! I mean, think about it: we all know that shares of fortune and misfortune have to be balanced! If things like this keep springing up, how would that be? Think about it: goddesses always seek to bring good fortune. Well, if a goddess is constantly by the side of a person, or a hero, all that can happen is good fortune! It knocks things off kilter!

Skuld: Why does that voice sound familiar?

Freya: My goodness…you almost sound like a demon with that rhetoric!

Mary: Well…uh…ahem…what I am doesn't matter! You have to agree with my point!

(Skuld, even more suspicious, whispers something in Ian's ear.)

Mary: (continuing,) goddesses should stick to granting wishes and leaving it at that. I mean, if you allow this, you have to allow it for all, and it would be a mess on Earth! This has to stop. You…

(She is cut off by guitar riff. Ian starts playing "Johnny Be Good" and then singing it. The image starts to scream.) Foul…no fair! (She is off her seat, dancing around to the music.)

Keiichi: Mara…I should have known!

Freya: (after a pause) We'll be back after a message from our sponsor!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Button, Button—Who's Got the Button? (Part 1)

The three ninjas were fleeing as fast as they could, Kodama carrying the eye on her back as if it was a large shield. However, the nature of the eye was as such that it did not take holding it long for the corrupting effects to take a hold of its possessor. As they fled back to the barbecue, Kodama began to eye the other two from time to time, and thoughts of their service started to creep into her mind. They essentially were equals, but now she began to get thoughts of power gripping her mind, and she suddenly said, "The mission was effective, but I think things could have been more efficient. Nozomi, you almost got yourself caught. That was careless!"

"Hey, it could have happened to anyone," Nozomi responded, knowing that things happen.

"That's not the point!" Kodama snapped out, "Our mistress relies on us to do our jobs well! Careless shall no longer be tolerated!"

This shook the other two, wondering from where that had come. Hikari then said, "Well, look who thinks she's the cat's meow now! You would think she was of the Iga Ninjas or something!"

"They can't hold a candle to me!" responded Kodama smugly.

They were close to the temple now, but tempers were beginning to flare by this point. Kodama then said, "From now on, I call the shots! I can't rely on the two of you to be able to spy on a television without the TV catching you doing it! You two are weak, and that needs to be fixed!"

"Hey, no one is in charge except for our Lady Belldandy!" shouted Nozomi, to which Hikari added, "What is come over you? You've never been like this before."

Becoming more enraged, Kodama thundered, "Only because this is the first time I have realized how you two have been dragging me down! It's time I taught the two of you a lesson!"

By this point, they were on temple grounds, and they were getting ready to slug it out. However, Urd noticed the row beginning to boil, and before the first blow could be thrown, she had come up and taken the eye, saying, "Good job, ladies… you got the eye."

It took a second or two, but Kodama began to act as if she was coming out of a deep sleep, and saying, "Where are we?"

"What do you mean 'where are we'?" asked Hikari, "We're back in the temple, silly! What came over you?"

She took a second to think, and now she remembered what she had done, though it seemed like a bad dream. Nozomi then said, "It's that eye thingy! You saw what that weird man was doing. Could it be corrupting people?"

As if the answer to the question was a forgone thing, Nozomi then said, "Wait, Urd just took the eye. If it can corrupt something like what we saw…"

She looked over at Urd without finishing the statement, and Hikari said, "We have to get that eye from her!"

However, Urd had already mixed with the crowd. Trying to take it at that point would cause a commotion that would expose to everyone things that they need not know, so now they had to formulate a plan to get it from her, and find some way of containing it. If Skuld could make something to hold the ring, then perhaps she could make something for that eye. They had to talk to Skuld and fix this problem.

Urd pocketed the eye without even thinking about it and joined the others. Ian was playing his guitar and having his share of the beer, though trying to pace himself. Knowing how affectionate Megumi was when she had a few too many, if he lost control, he was not sure he would be able to contain himself that night when she pressed him for things they knew they were not yet ready, and would now need more discussing considering that she now knew the whole truth. Still, Megumi was attached to him like an apple on a tree and seeming to pace herself as well, though others were doing what they could to keep Sora from doing a topless belly dance as her proof of "womanhood." Urd seemed to be enjoying herself, but now began to look at the scene in a different eye. Urd had thought that the corruption would not affect her, considering that she was her father's daughter, and that it should not have affected her. However, to this, she was not immune. Only the Almighty One was, and the eye's nature as such was to not only corrupt and empower he or she who bears it, but to be so subtle that one could not detect the corruption that set in. As a result, she watched Ian with Megumi, Skuld with Sentaro with their puppy love shining through, and Belldandy with Keiichi. That one got to her the most. She remembered their battle in Niflheim with Hagal before Ian came into the picture, and she remembered how, in order to rescue them, Belldandy had to use an action that was only reserved to lock a believer in them to them permanently. When all seemed lost, Belldandy somehow recovered from the attack that would have drained her divine power completely and then replaced it completely with demonic power and did her action. It seemed that, though drained of divine power, Yggdrasil, from where the goddesses gain their power to act while on Earth, managed to re-energize Belldandy and gave her the ability to act. She convinced Keiichi to cancel and void the original contract they had together and then enact a new, more binding one that the goddesses rarely use unless they need their devotees to act as a strong group for her. The contract would bind him to her forever as long as he accepted any challenge thrown at them, or that Belldandy gave her under the condition that, if he refused, he would be forbidden contact with her forever. Essentially, the contract was one where he was now enslaved to her, and he was essentially her concubine for whatever she wanted, though their relationship was not as such that you would have noticed it. Because it was such a binding contract, it had to be sealed with a kiss, and a very passionate one at that! It was the first time the pair had ever kissed, and it was one as such that, because it was so special, Keiichi would literally go through Hell and back again if she demanded it and without question. They were essentially man and wife as far as Heaven was concerned, though they had yet to physically consummate that, or make it binding from man's eyes. Still, she watched the pair, knew what kind of a person Keiichi was, and wondered why it was that someone who understood love as she did was not given the chance at him instead of Belldandy. As she sat and watched, memories began to stir.

She remembered how it was as they grew up that everything seemed so easy for her to gain good things and favor. Nothing seemed hard for her. It seemed she could just charm her way into gaining anything. She was even shocked at how quickly Belldandy had earned her first class unlimited, and how it was that she seemed to always be denied her own first class. (However, this was more the eye's doing, considering that she well knew that it was more that Belldandy was always a hard worker and obedient to everything that things were so easily given to her. There was also the consideration that Urd felt that there were times where the need to lie existed, and because goddesses are not supposed to lie, she was forbidden her first class until she changed her mind in this regard.) It seemed also to Urd under the corrupting power that she was always a failure at love. She had lost Troubadour, (though it was really because he was more of a nooge than anything else,) and she could not keep that boy she met when Yggdrasil was on the fritz. She would have to wait years before she could meet him again, and even then, without the ability to form a contract, joining with him would have been very difficult. It got worse the longer she stared. Keiichi was so slow with Belldandy. She knew what would make him happy, and she knew that she could compel his weak mind, (though it had become stronger in time,) to do whatever she wanted. He could get him to be more of a man and more aggressive. She had to get him away from her.

The next morning came, and it was a day off for Ian. He was glad he could sleep off the mild headache he had from the night before and to help clean up the party's aftermath. He knew that the cycle would be whining its way around the track again that morning, so he was glad to get the time. He cleaned up and let Megumi sleep, getting his own breakfast, and then he put on some sweats and his Bruins jersey while grabbing some plastic bags to start the clean up. He was pleased to see that everyone who was there for some more testing to help give the bike some final tweaks was now helping to clean up, considering that they had also been a part of the barbecue the night before. Everything seemed to be okay, and everyone was with whomever they normally were, Keiichi and Belldandy joined at the hip as they normally were, but there was something else that he could not help but see. Urd was cleaning up, but seemed to be watching the pair closely, and she seemed to be mildly annoyed. This could not be missed. Something did not seem right. However, he was distracted by the appearance of Hild who said, "Well, hotshot…you know today is a training day, right?"

He sighed and said, "Yes…I know."

"Sounds like you are getting tired of that," she teased.

"I don't know if there is any difference between you and a Marine Corps drill instructor," he played back.

"We'll have to go up into the woods today, considering," she said, bringing the focus back.

"No problem," he said, "I'll get some sneakers on after this, and we can go."

Urd was reaching out with her powers to hear this, and that made her anxious: the one that could get in the way would be out of the picture that day, and then she could act.

Once Ian had gone, Keiichi and Belldandy were back on the track, Chihiro announcing, "Once we get the final tweaks out of the way, we can take her on the road for some tests on the same kind of terrain that you shall face out there on the course."

They nodded and then tore around the track, beginning to make the machine feel like it was the extension of the pair. All that time, Urd was refining her plan. She knew that Belldandy would have her time when she went into the kitchen to prepare some sandwiches for everyone, and that would be her chance. After about ten laps, they pulled in to get the final perks put on her, and Keiichi said, "She purrs like a kitten! If she had wings, she would fly!"

Belldandy smiled and said, "I shall go and prepare some sandwiches. Does anyone have any requests?"

Everyone gave their requests and she went off to make them. After they finished on the bike, Chihiro said, "Okay, everyone can take a break until lunch, and we'll take her for another set of laps around the track to confirm what she did."

Everyone nodded and Keiichi went to check on a couple of things on the temple grounds. As he went behind the main building that contained the meditation area, Urd then caught up to him, wearing some very seductive clothing. Keiichi, knowing that she normally dressed like this at times, paid her no mind and said, "Hi, Urd: what's up?"

Her eyebrow rose as she thought, "_You__won't__ask__what's__up__once__I'm__done__with__you!I__think__it__will__be__up__for__sometime__,in__fact!_"

She then answered, "Well, Keiichi, I was wondering how it's been going between you and Belldandy, you know, ever since the new contract."

"Well, it doesn't seem any different than before," he answered as he was checking on the edge tiles of the roof, "I guess the only real difference is that we can be closer than ever before."

Urd thought for a moment, and then she said, "You know, Kay…when you form that contract, well, you know what it meant, right?"

"It meant we became a permanently accepted pair," he announced, "That caused any malfunctions in Yggdrasil to go away, because we were together in a way that would not be questioned now. Well, at least, that's how it seemed Belldandy explained it."

She grinned a touch and said, "I don't think she was completely honest with you."

Keiichi laughed and said, "Aw, come on…you know she's not allowed to lie, or else she loses her license."

"Well, I didn't say she lied," answered Urd, "I just said she was not completely honest. She omitted something essential."

He looked at her oddly, wondering where this was coming from, and asked, "Okay, what are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that she said what the deal was without really making it clear what the point of the whole thing was," she answered, "The contract she formed with you has more to do with how we can gain worshippers and servants."

"Worshippers?" he asked, now she having his full attention, and she responded, "Well, we _are_ goddesses, after all. There are some that do bow down to us and give us honor as befitting what we are."

"Okay, spill it. What are you saying?"

"What I am saying is she used a now rarely used deal which we give to our adherents that even I, as a second-class, could give, because the contract is not based on a wish, as your new one is not."

"Oh? Well, just what is this…thing?"

"What has happened is that you have become her slave. In order to keep her with you, and keep her favor, you have to do whatever she tells you to do. This could also have the potential of making you her concubine if she so desires. You have no ability to refuse, because you are really no longer your own."

An ashen countenance overcame him as the words sank in, and he now began to contemplate just what this meant. He then brightened and said, "But, that's okay, because I trust her completely, and I know that she would never hurt me, or make me do something she knew would hurt me!"

That hit her like the proverbial slap in the face. She then remembered that love can override things that may be considered unacceptable by others, and cause you to make sacrifices if the love is that deep. She would have to take some more drastic actions. Urd then said, "Well, can you really trust her?"

Now Keiichi was really confused. "Why are you acting like this? Of course, I can. What brought this on?"

She began to saunter up to him and say, "Oh, come on…I know that I could have made things better for you."

Keiichi stiffened, not liking where this was going. He knew that she had often acted attracted to him, but either only to get him to get a spine for Belldandy's sake, or just to have some fun with him. She had never acted this serious before. He then said, "Urd, this is not like you."

"Oh, it's very much like me," she said, "I can make you so happy…well…anyone happy. I have power you cannot imagine. I can give riches and power, and that would not even require a wish."

She was now in a position to trap him against the wall, and he was getting ready to bolt and find Belldandy. Something just had to be wrong. He tried one last plea and said, "Um…Urd, did you make a mistake on one of your potions or something? Maybe I can get Belldandy and get you to lie down for a while."

Yet, his hesitance was his mistake as she now had her hands to either side of him and was getting closer and closer. She then said, "Oh, lying down for a while would be great…" and she pressed herself against him as much as she could, and then whispered into his ear, "…if it was with you. Get closer to me, stud!"

He swallowed hard and whimpered as his whole body trembled, and then he said, "If I was any closer, I'd be behind you right now!"

"I don't want 'behind'," she cooed, "I want…in."

His heart was now racing, and she suddenly looked up with a devilish grin and said, "Ohh…I think you want to be 'in' yourself!"

At this, World of Elegance emerged, but now both halves were trimmed in black, including her wings, and she looked just as devilish. Keiichi now knew something was seriously wrong as World of Elegance began to snuggle him as well. Urd started to caress him as World of Elegance began to unzip Keiichi's racing suit, and that was when they heard Belldandy calling everyone out for lunch. Urd shuddered and acted as if someone had just poured ice-cold water on the two of them. Belldandy was now calling for Keiichi, wondering where he was, and the sound of her voice was getting closer. Urd did not want a confrontation just yet, so she backed off and said, "Consider this an earnest on our payment."

She then turned cross as she raised her hand and said, "And this had better remain our little secret, or…" and electricity crackled across her fingertips. World of Elegance then retracted as it seemed Keiichi caught the hint. Urd left him, and now Keiichi wondered how this was going to go, and how he could tell Belldandy that something was wrong without getting the shock of his life.

Not all this was unnoticed, as Halval was watching the whole thing. She well knew that it was the eye causing Urd to do this. Indeed, she had had revenge on her mind because of the whole mess they had already fought through, yet, right now, she seemed content just to observe, considering the amount of misery this could bring. She knew that eye might destroy them all, and save them the work.

Apollyon was wandering the streets of Chiba City now, more in his right mind, but still with destruction on his heart. He also was plotting how to deal with the traitorous pair. When he conquered this world, the first two to die would be Hagal and Halval. They would pay dearly for there treachery.

Oh My Goddess Omake # 4

Freya: Let us open up for some questioning from our audience and phone lines! Okay…you…what is your question?

Audience member: Belldandy, we understand you recently used the enslaving clause with Keiichi. Can you truly call that love?

Belldandy: Well, it was a desperate situation, but by doing so, I could empower Keiichi to protect the both of us, and when the challenges come, he shall have power beyond measure. I would never take advantage of that.

Keiichi: She so completes me, I would do anything for her, because I know she would never ask me to do anything that was evil to anyone else. I know she would never betray that trust.

Freya: Okay, we have our first caller. Go ahead, caller.

Caller: Yes…Belldandy, how dare you trump me like that?

Belldandy: (Confused) I don't understand. What do you mean?

Caller: You well know who this is! You know I have a claim to him if you ever split, and now you made that nearly impossible!

Skuld: (rolling her eyes) Peorth! I thought you were over this.

Peorth: Well…I am…it's just…well…um…he-he…uh…good-bye! *click*

(Silent pause) Freya: Well, that was…interesting? Let's go to commercial?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Button, Button, Who's Got the Button, (part 2)

Everyone sat under the shade of the big cherry tree, talking about racing, the upcoming rally, what they would have to do, and other such things, but Urd sat quiet, making sexy facial expressions whenever she saw no one else was looking. After that was done, Belldandy began to clean up with the aid of Skuld, Banpei, and Sigel and Urd felt she had a chance. As soon as she had him alone again, she said, to Keiichi, "You know, it's going to be a few before they have the bike ready for the final run. Why don't you go into your room and relax."

"Uh…I'm fine…Urd," said Keiichi nervously.

"Oh, nonsense," said Urd in return, "You know how physically straining racing can be."

Without his asking, she took him by the arm and floated him to the house, keeping the two of them one millimeter above the floor so not to make any creaking. She then put the two of them on the twin futon he and Belldandy now shared, with Urd straddling him as she gyrated a touch, moaning, and saying, "You have no idea how long it has been."

She now had her body pressed onto his, seeking to slip her hand onto his zipper on his racing outfit, but Keiichi flipped them both over, and she cooed, "Ooh!" approvingly and said, "Okay, you drive."

However, when they had rolled, the eye had flown out of her pocked and into the hall. At that, Urd snapped out of it and said, "Wait…why are we doing this?"

"You tell me," said Keiichi, "You came on to me!"

"What do you…" she started to say, but then realized their position, and she flung him off, shouting, "HOW DARE YOU!"

"It was you, I swear!" he pleaded, hoping that some divine retribution did not descend on him. That was when Belldandy stuck her head in and said, "Oh, there you are! Urd, can you help me with some errands whilst I do some more laps?"

"Uh…sure," she said, and was about to move on Keiichi again when she remembered the eye, and realized that it had indeed overtaken her, and she felt for it in her pocket, except for the fact that it was gone. She looked all around for it, and Keiichi then said, "Um, what was that all about, Urd?"

"It was the Eye of Wisdom," said Urd.

"Okay, I'm lost," answered Keiichi.

"Remember the three items we told you about," said Urd, "Well, the three ninjas managed to retrieve it, and I had it. Yet, the thing is, it corrupts whoever holds it. I thought I was immune, but I guess not."

"Where did it go?"

"I don't know. It must have fallen out when we…ugh…don't remind me! Look, just go out. I'll search for it."

Keiichi left her to it, but she was not sure what she was going to do if she did find it, considering what it could do. However, she was not going to find the eye right away.

The eye had landed in the hall, and Banpei spotted it, thinking it was something that Skuld was using on one of her latest projects. He then took it to her at trackside, and she said, "What do you have there?"

He shrugged and gave it to her. She took it, and suddenly, she began to feel anger. She watched the pair circling around, and suddenly, all she could think about was losing her sister, and to that mortal of all things. She may have learned to accept much, but a hint of that resentment still lingered. Now, it was being amplified. She pocketed the eye and continued to watch. All she could think about was how to sabotage the bike, get rid of Keiichi, and then take Belldandy home where she belonged. Worse, the one who could have seen this right away—Urd—was now heading off the grounds to run Belldandy's errands. She figured she would find it later, not wanting to worry Belldandy any. However, there would be much in the way of worry. Once the bike pulled in, the pair hopped off, and Skuld then said, "Okay, what are the stats? Any tweaking needed?"

"The bike is perfect," said Chihiro, "It's where it needs to be."

"Oh, but I bet I could make it even better!" countered Skuld, running up to the bike and grabbing the handles to push it away.

"There's no need," said Belldandy lovingly, to which Keiichi said, "Besides, you're keen eye has already made this thing a killer machine!"

She glared at him and said, "I don't need your coddling!"

Keiichi flinched, not having seen that from her for some time. "Skuld, are you okay?" he asked.

Skuld stood up, stuck her nose in the air, and said, "I'm perfectly fine! What do you care?"

"Skuld, now you know that is not nice," scolded Belldandy mildly, "He cares about you just as much as I."

She confronted the pair in front of everyone, not caring who saw, and said, "You don't care about me, because, if you did, you would have never put that deal on Keiichi!"

Belldandy was taken aback, now knowing something was badly amiss. "Skuld, what has come over you?" asked a now worried Belldandy, "I thought you were over this?"

Skuld got between the pair, her back to Belldandy, pushing her away from Keiichi as if she was trying to protect Belldandy from him. "Keep away from her!" snapped Skuld, "You'll only corrupt her more!"

Everyone else was shocked. Even Tamiya knew this was not right and said, "Hey, little girl: that's not the way to talk to your elders!"

"I AM NOT LITTLE!" she thundered, and pulled out what looked like a click pen. However, it was her own brand of tazer and she stung him with it. He flew backwards, wondering what had hit him, and everyone started to say, "Okay, just calm down."

Belldandy spun her around and said, "Skuld: that was naughty! Why did you do that?"

Skuld got the big puppy eyes and said, "But…I was only trying to protect you!"

Belldandy was not having it. She took Skuld under her arms, crying, "My sister doesn't love me anymore!", and bawling her eyes out. However, when they got to the house, Belldandy started to stand her up, and that was when the eye fell out of her pocket. Belldandy heard the thud, picked it up and pocketed it, and said, "What has come over you?"

However, Skuld looked dizzy, and she said, "Where am I?"

Belldandy, not certain what was going on, said, "Do you not remember?"

"I don't remember much," she said, "But…what did happen?"

Belldandy suggested that Skuld go lie down for a while. She would have Urd come up with a tonic to find out what came over Skuld. Yet, now that she had the eye, something started to happen to her.

At the old abandoned arcade, Chibi Hild looked at her misfortune reader and noticed that it was starting to go off the scale too far to the misfortune side. She knew that her demons were only doing the normal quota, so something was terribly amiss. She started to scan around the city and noticed a strong surge from the temple. She summoned Mara and told her to go there and see what she could learn. However, Mara said, "Hey, not with that two-legged tin terror running around! You have no clue how much trouble he's caused me!"

She sighed heavily and said, "Look, you don't have to get near, just get close enough to see if you can find the source of misfortune there that is causing things to shift too far off balance."

Mara was aggravated and went to check it out. She had just gotten out of sight when Chibi Hild looked out the window to spot Urd coming round with some groceries. She then hopped down and said, "Well, hello my beloved daughter!"

She tensed up and said, "What do you want?"

She just shook her head and said, "Look, there has been a shake-up in the balance severe enough to let you know about it."

"So, if it's your crew, don't you have a say over that?"

"I'm not sure it is! I mean, I have all demons accounted for, so I know they are not the ones in on this. It actually seems to be coming from the temple itself."

"Right, like anyone there could be…wait…oh no!"

Chibi Hild saw the look on her face and she realized that this had to be something really bad for Urd to react in this fashion. She then said, "We have to get to the temple as fast as we can!"

When Belldandy came outside to see how things were going, she began to eye everyone suspiciously. She began to eye Tamiya and Otaki, and all she could now see was a pair of bullies who had pushed around her precious Keiichi for years. All she could see was stupid people coming up with all kinds of hair-brained ideas, using Keiichi as their stooge to get it done as to where they would not get their hands dirty. She eyed Chihiro, and for some reason, feared she would get in the way of her and Keiichi. Megumi she eyed with contempt because she now knew everything, and Sayoko, well…old memories of the past came back that blocked her memories of how she had come to them for help not months before and had changed her ways somewhat. Anger began to boil over in her and she said, "Alright, everyone leaves now!"

They all looked at her as if she had something stuck to her face, and Megumi said, "But…I live here!"

"All of you want to do something to my Keiichi!" she said, her brow furrowing, "Some of you have HURT my Keiichi! This cannot stand!"

"Okay, this is weird," said Chihiro, "You've never acted like this before."

However, Sayoko knew what was going on, and she said, "Belldandy, please, you need to calm down…"

However, a glowing dome grew over her, and even Banpei came up now. He was saying to her mind, "_Mistress Belldandy, what are you doing?_"

However, this was bad timing on his part, as Belldandy said, "You jealous little tin can! Leave him alone!"

Lightning came and shorted him out for the time being, and he fell over. The crack awoke Skuld as she came out and said, "Hey, what's going on?"

Belldandy swung her head around and said, "You…little girls do not need to be sticking their noses in where they do not belong! You should have stayed home!"

She looked oddly at all this as the dome now grew. Everyone started to flee as it did, trying to find the fastest way off the grounds that they could. "That is right!" thundered Belldandy, "Flee before the great power of the mighty Belldandy…goddess of fate! Know my wrath!"

Mara had only gotten three-fourths of the way there when she saw the dome. From the way it looked, it could only be Belldandy. She made a beeline back to the arcade as Urd and Chibi Hild coming the other way met her. "Mistress Hild," exclaimed Mara excitedly, "Belldandy has gone ballistic!"

"I feared that," said Urd, "She must have gotten the eye."

"They eye?" said Mara, "You don't mean…"

"The very one," said Chibi Hild, "If she has been corrupted enough by it, she just may remove her seals and really do some damage."

"But…wait…that's a good thing," said Mara, "The Almighty One would strip her of all deity and make her human…"

She got a greedy look in her eye and said, "…and make her open to attack!"

Chibi Hild smacked the back of Mara's head and said, "Wake up, doofus! She could destroy the Earth if she unleashed all her power! Is that what you want?"

"Well…no…" muttered Mara, having been caught again making rash and greedy decisions.

"Then, we have to stop her!" said Chibi Hild.

"Why would she be doing this?" asked a now confused Mara.

"She loves Keiichi…do the math," said a surprised and somewhat annoyed Urd that Mara was so slow on the uptake.

"Oh…eww!" answered Mara, now realizing what this meant, and then she said, "But, if she saw me…"

"She just might try to evaporate the solar system just to be rid of you!" answered Chibi Hild.

Lind was perfecting Ian's shield and barrier skills as she said, "Now, the barrier is more inclusive. It should look like that around the temple…wait…what?"

She looked at the dome that was close to them that now encompassed the temple, and Lind said, "What in the world…"

She started to scan the grounds and sent out a few avatars to see what was happening, and she saw everyone trapped outside, and Skuld tied up inside the dome. Belldandy had a very bad aura around her that seemed to be emanating from her pocket. She looked harder and then realized what it was. "Great!" she said, "Ian, stay here, this will be too much for you to handle."

"But what's the…" he tried to say, but a harsh look from her let him know she was not in the mood within which to be trifled. Lind, however, was trying to find her way into the barrier.

Inside the dome, Belldandy came up to a now terrified Skuld and said, "You little runt…you always get in the way!"

"Sister, why are you doing this?" Skuld pleaded, "What are you going to do?"

"You are going to be punished for being a naughty little buttinski," snarled Belldandy, "If it were not for you, a step that I have been ready to take for some time now would have happened, but YOU always got in the way!"

"But…but I thought we got past that," whimpered Skuld, "I know I still feel a touch jealous…but I let it go…I mean, I'm contracted to Sentaro now…"

"SILENCE!" she said, "Naughty girls like you need to be punished!"

Skuld had no idea what this was going to entail, but she knew that it was not going to be a tickle session. However, outside the dome, both Chibi Hild and Urd floated over the top, and Urd screamed in, "Bell…what are you doing? You have to stop! You're under the influence of the eye!"

"Urd, what do you understand?" snapped Belldandy, "You're just some second-class rebellious mud blood! You NEVER want to do what is right!"

"Bell…don't try to force me to blow this thing open!" screamed Urd, as she tried some Urd Bolt shots, but they had no effect whatsoever. Chibi Hild said, "I can handle this!"

She fired an energy blast and tried to push a hole through it, which it did, but it healed up instantly. This threw Chibi Hild for a loop, and actually made her feel weak. She then said, "The eye must be empowering her to do this. Are her seals still in place?"

"Yes, it looks that way," said Urd.

"Well, because of what she is, the eye is granting her power to come to her full potential even with the seals," responded Chibi Hild, "If she takes them off, you may be able to put the Earth back together with five easy pieces. This would be something for Hild prime, but it would take time to summon my namesake."

The looked with worry as she was about to do something to Skuld, but the answer was going to come in another way.

Keiichi came up and said, "Belldandy, what are you doing?"

She suddenly turned all affectionate and said, "Oh, Keiichi darling! As soon as this pest is out of the way, our fantasies can all be realities! No one will ever get in our way again! We shall be together forever!"

"I was afraid of that," he said, "Look, Bell, you're sick…you have to be."

Belldandy sauntered up to him in a sexy way that she normally only did when she was not in her right mind. She said, "But darling, I thought we were past all that nursery school puppy love nonsense!"

"Look, I want this to be official here on earth more than you," he answered, "But I don't want you when you get like this. Let me help you."

She embraced him and said, "No…let me help you," and she was about to kiss him. Urd knew that she was about to bewitch him into compliance and she said, "Hild, give the dome another blast!"

"That won't do anything," responded Chibi Hild, but Urd said, "Just do it!"

The hole opened for a moment, and Urd took that chance to dive in. She landed in Belldandy's sight and said, "Bell, stop this now!"

"Stay away, Urd…I am warning you!" snarled Belldandy, but Urd already sent an avatar and perched her on Keiichi's shoulder and whispered, "In her hip pocket, reach in and quickly throw whatever is in there far from you."

He slid his hand over, which was interpreted for an attempt at affection by Belldandy as she cooed, "Oh, you naughty boy."

He reached in, and whispered, "You want me to throw her cell phone?"

The avatar smacked her forehead and said, "No, you idiot…the OTHER thing!"

He felt the eye, grabbed it, and threw it away quickly. At once, she snapped stiff, blinked, and went weak into Keiichi's arms. Just as soon as that was done, the dome vanished. Tamiya said, "What was all that?"

He did not have a chance to get that answered, as Chibi Hild came up and erased all the memories of everyone there, (except for Megumi and Sayoko, who were now privy to things,) and paused their thinking while she levitated everyone back to where they had been before the whole thing happened. She then let things go and they all acted as if nothing had been amiss. Urd untied Skuld and said, "Get one of your containment boxes and a pair of tongs. Go get the eye."

Skuld did so, but just as she was about to do so, Halval popped out of the trees there and snatched up the eye saying, "There! Now it belongs to US!"

She had seen the dome and went to investigate. She then saw the eye land before her and took a chance. However, before she got far, a rock hit her hand and the eye fell out. Lind and Ian were standing there as Ian had managed to throw a rock before the eye could do its thing again. Lind said, "Halval, don't!"

She then remembered how Hagal and herself had been held prisoner by Apollyon and now realized how foolish she was about to have become. Yet, she now feared what Lind would do, but Lind said, "Come to the house: we all need to talk."

Oh My Goddess Omake # 5

Freya: Okay, let's get a view from the audience…you there!

Audience member: Is a wedding planned for any of you? How do you want it?

(Red faces all around.)

Ian: Well, Megumi are cohabitating, but the talk has come up. We're still feeling that out.

Skuld: Hey, that's still a bit off! That's a bit personal, don't you think?

Belldandy: Now Skuld…be polite.

Freya: I know you two have been planning it.

Belldandy: Well, we just want something simple at the temple at cherry blossom time under the big tree there, a few friends and guests, a quiet honeymoon in Okinawa…

Urd: (charging onto the stage and snatching Freya's mic) Oh, come on, Bell…think big! Father would want to be there, you know. Let me tell you how it's going to be: It will be in Valhalla, the troops forming a sword tunnel, thousands of guests, a huge orchestra…this will be bigger than the one for Charles and Diane…

Freya: (attempting to wrest the mic back) Grr…we'll…give it back…we'll be right back…knock it off…after these messages…security!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: If Necessity Is the Mother of Strange Bedfellows, of What Is Desperation the Mother?

Skuld had gotten the tongs and the containment box and carefully put the eye in the box, though she still had the briefest moment where what she had felt before well up. However, once that had passed, she brought it back to the living room where everyone was waiting. Lind then said, "Halval, because of your crimes, I should have pummeled you and taken you in. However, considering what you told me as we waited for Skuld to return, it seems karma has played her hand with you and Hagal. The question is, considering the dangers that we now face with Apollyon still loose and definitely wanting any of the components back, wanting to do anything to get them, are you willing to help put an end to this mess? You could take time of your sentence, or even gain acquittal. You may be busted to the lowest rank of what you are, but at least you would not have to face limbo, the Abyss, or whatever you would go to after. It is odd that we are all looking to join forces here, but considering the ultimate foe in this mess—one who just wants to destroy whatever he can for the mere pleasure of it—the term of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' falls into play here."

She looked at them with some anger and wonder, and she said, "I should seek to try for the eye anyway, but I know I might not get far. That half-breed over there can see into the areas of the electromagnetic spectrum that does not involve visible light, so trying my tricks would not help me in the slightest. I just don't see myself becoming disloyal to Lady Hagal either."

Chibi-Hild looked at her a touch cross and said, "You owe me, well source of me, which is me…you know what I mean… Anyway, you are right about one thing: you would not get far. If the demigod did not stop you, you know your parlor tricks would not work on me. Therefore, I rather think you do not have much of a choice. It is either help us, or find yourself somewhere in the Abyss."

Keiichi was shaking his head and said, "I never thought I would see the day when demons and deity would be working together."

Ian rubbed his chin, and he remembered what kind of mythology man had written about all he saw, (much of which he now knew was bogus or misconstrued,) and he remembered the place of Hild in the whole scheme of things. There had to be some truth, and he said, "Kei, I think you're not looking at this whole thing right."

Urd then added, "I don't think he ever has."

After a glance, Keiichi said, "But, I always thought you were foes."

"Competition," corrected Chibi-Hild, "Not foes. We both have our interests, but it all works out in the balance of things for mankind, as you should already know by now. It may seem we play with lives as if they were toys, and sadly, some on our side has forgotten what this is all about, and become corrupted as Halval and Hagal. However, when we allow for misfortune, there is always a good reason."

"This is why there is the Heaven and Earth Goddess Help Lines," added Belldandy, "Sometimes; misfortune does not know when to stop. Though Hild and her minions are responsible for this, the Star of Misfortune from where it comes sometimes has a mind of its own, and loves to hang over one life too much. This was the reason for the help lines. Someone as you, Keiichi, had such an event, and because you proved yourself to have the noble heart I have grown to love more and more with each passing day, allowance is made for us to contact such as you. It all works out."

"Furthermore," added Ian, "If I remember my lore correctly, Niflheim is not exactly a place of torment."

"You could have fooled me," answered Keiichi, remembering their trip in there to contend with Hagal for the first time.

"You only saw what Hagal allowed," answered Chibi-Hild, "Do not judge it so harshly."

"Well, why did you try to corrupt Ian?" Keiichi asked in return.

"It was a misunderstanding of intents," answered Chibi-Hild, "We know better now. Ian, darling, please continue."

Ian nodded and said, "Hild would be the equivalent of Hades in Greek myth, though why the Greeks saw her as a male is beyond me."

Urd smirked and interjected, "One look at her should be enough to let you know."

Urd then yelped from a bolt to her fanny as Chibi-Hild smirked and said, "That wasn't very nice, daughter dearest!"

As Urd rubbed her hinder parts, Ian then said, "Some people think Hades was some kind of devil or evil person, but that was quite wrong. He was brother of Zeus, and they had both agreed to take one section of rulership or another: Zeus taking the here and now, and Hades the hereafter. One ruled the living; one ruled the dead and meted out proper punishment or reward for their lives here. I am sure it is a similar setup."

"Indeed," said Chibi-Hild, "You are a bright boy. You shall go far. In any case, there is a section for the bad in life to suffer the price of their lives, one for the downright diabolic—the Abyss—which contains horrors that would make nightmares seem like pleasant dreams, and a section that would be likened to the Elysian Fields for the good."

"The best of the best get to go to Asgard," added Lind, "And the bravest, most honorable warriors on either side of the fight would be rewarded with a dwelling place in Valhalla with the Almighty and a seat at his table. They make up a great army that would come in and fight if things ever came to a head as bad as could happen if Apollyon ever got a hold of all three components. Now, at this point, if it got bad, the Valkyrie could handle it, but, if it got that bad, the army in Valhalla would come down and put a stop to it, though much of the Earth would be devastated."

Lind said this so nonchalantly that both Keiichi and Ian's jaws were proverbially on the floor. Chibi-Hild looked at Ian and said, "You need to get used to such things, because things with us always happen on a greater scale than almost all humans could fathom. In any case, thank you for not hating us right away for being what we are. Indeed, humans are scared of us, and I can understand why, but amongst us, it is not that way…sort of."

Ian, after shaking off the shock, then said, "I have to ask: weren't those soldiers meant for Ragnarock—the last great battle on Earth before everything is renewed, after the death of Father, and the birth of two sons that will take over to rebuild?"

"That indeed is all garbage," answered Urd, "Actually, they are there to_ stop_ something on the level of Ragnarock from happening, though the part about renewal is a bit more accurate. After such a fight, there would be a need to rebuild."

Keiichi though for a moment, and then he said, "Backtrack to what you said about Apollyon gaining all the components: what you are describing indeed would have to happen."

"True," answered Lind, "But, Ian, you still have the coif…right?"

"Yes," answered Ian, "The thing comes in handy. It would come in even handier during therapy sessions. It would sure cut through all the garbage a patient wants to throw one's way."

"Well, I do not think Father wants to risk such a thing being loose," answered Belldandy, "However, I can teach you how to read auras, and that would help you more than just detecting lies, which is all the coif would do. Reading auras would tell you much more."

"Wait," said Keiichi, "There's something I don't understand. How come you've done all you could to separate Belldandy and I?"

"Silly boy," said Chibi-Hild, "It was a reasonable thing. I mean, you had the star of misfortune over you, and yet you still kept your head up and smiled, raising our shares exponentially. When Belldandy came along, it all ground to a screeching halt. You just have to understand your value to us demons."

"I really don't," grumbled Keiichi.

"Hold on," interjected Urd, "There's something I don't understand. Why do you want Keiichi with you so bad?"

Chibi-Hild had a guess Urd already knew the answer to this, but now she knew she had to come clean, because Urd would eventually let the cat out of the bag. Thus, Chibi-Hild answered with some mild frustration, "It is simple: I would have done everything for him Belldandy would have done, except I would have been very harsh to anyone who would have tried to harm my dear Keiichi. The misfortune to others my association with him would have done would have done wonders for our side. However, the way it is, if it was just Keiichi gaining good fortune with Belldandy, I might have said nothing. Yet, with her always on the Earth, and her always looking to help people, coupled with the fact that Kei has more friends than he realizes, she spreads good fortune on everyone she meets, and it is killing our shares!"

Keiichi looked cross at Chibi-Hild, who then said, "I'd calm that attitude of yours, because, Belldandy or no Belldandy, I could cause you so much misfortune that it would make what you did go through seem like a pleasant day!"

Belldandy began to posture, but Lind cut in and said, "Later with that. We don't have time for that nonsense! Right now, we need an answer from Halval. Will you help us? Would Hagal if we asked?"

Keiichi just sat there glum, not liking the fact that he was only to be used as a means to an end by certain forces of higher being for whatever purpose they wanted. Belldandy just hugged him and said, "Never fear. You know that I would never let anyone use you now."

Meanwhile, Halval was between a rock and a hard place, and it could be better said that she was being given an offer she could not refuse. She then said, "What choice do I have? You all kind of have me over a barrel right now."

"Oh, please do not think of it that way," answered Belldandy in her peacemaking ways, "Think of it as that you gained mercy today, and we want to give you a chance to experience that mercy."

Halval hesitated once more, but she then said, "Well, I cannot speak for Hagal, and I doubt she would take kindly for me helping, but, right now, considering what is at risk, it's every supernatural being for his or herself, so, I accept."

"Oh good!" chirped Belldandy, "I shall have a place laid out for you in my old room to stay for the time being!"

"Hey, you're going to love Belldandy's home cooking!" said Mara, all smiles, remembering how she had been stuffed silly on other occasions by Belldandy before. It seemed odd not to be fighting with her anymore, though she knew that their jobs might cause them to clash from time to time. She just now figured that it was all part of the fun now, and as she pondered this, this was when another voice interjected. The male voice then said, "Speaking of alliances and partnering up, I do think there is another matter that does need addressing."

They all looked over to the cat that had now mounted on the table, and Belldandy then said, "Welsper, well, we have not seen you for a time."

"Hey, as a cat, I have the prerogative to be independent if I wish," he responded, "But all this talk reminded me of the matter of the doublet system, namely, what is to be done about the demigod?"

Now Ian looked askance, and he said, "Okay, why is the cat talking? I mean, I've seen him around, but this takes the cake."

"I'll explain later," answered Urd, who then looked at Welsper and asked, "Does it matter for him? I mean, with the seals on him, he would be quite mortal, and if he was paired with a demon, that would not be good for the one so linked."

Ian was swinging his eyes all around, wondering what this creepy talk was all about, and Lind took him out of the room to explain how the doublet system worked. Welsper then said, "Yes, she does have a point. Lady Hild, is there a demi-demon with whom he can be paired?"

Chibi-Hild gave him the raised eyebrow look and said, "Ah…no…I don't think I have done anything remotely like that, yet, that does not account for other demons and what they might do. Indeed, this might warrant an investigation, because, he would have to be linked to a peer."

Urd cut in and said, "Well and good, but, we have to take on one challenge at a time. First, now that we have the eye contained, and really, we now have all three components, could we not now return them all to their rightful places: the ring and coif to the Rhine maidens, and the eye to the well? This would put and end to things right away."

Chibi Hild pondered and said, "Well, I think that might just be the best thing. Tomorrow, I shall see about fetching the ring, but we would have to do each apart from the other so that none of us has all three components at the same moment. You could imagine…"

"Perish the thought!" interjected Urd, "Let's just get this done as quickly as possible."

Everyone agreed that the next day would be the best for doing this, and they all looked forward to putting that part behind them, and then making a scheme to try to contain both Hagal and Apollyon and imprison them. Certainly, though those things would have been taken care of, the pair was still at large, and one of them indeed was looking to vent his frustrations for losing the eye. As everyone broke up, Halval eyed the box with the eye, and looked out the door where Ian had gone, and did this a couple of times. It was then her mind began to concoct a scheme of its own.

At about two in the morning, a shadowy figure started to make her way out and stayed with the floor joints. She started then to make her way to Skuld's bedroom, and once there, plunged the whole place into complete darkness. She then slid the door open, only to be met with a bamboo staff to the head. "Hey," whispered Halval, "How did you see that?"

All she heard was the sound of whizzing hard drives and very soft buzzing, and she then realized that it was Banpei standing there. He was not affected by this at all, and she remembered the last time she tangled with the tin can. It was not a fun time by any stretch of the imagination. She said, "Uh…just checking on things, you know? I mean, any demon could make a play for the eye…"

Her built-in sonar could make out Banpei shaking his head back and forth, and then two miniature power speakers rise up from him. The human ear could hear nothing, but any animal within ten feet of the temple was howling in pain, and Halval began to scream. The darkness dropped, and everyone came out to see what the fuss was all about, and saw Halval rolling on the ground in pain. "Make it stop!" she screamed, "This is killing me!"

Skuld then said, "Well, well, well…I knew we couldn't trust you!"

The sound stopped and Halval groaned, "Please, it wasn't that at all! I mean, something could have snuck in and stole it. I could protect it much better!"

Skuld frowned and said, "Highly unlikely, considering how you got stopped!"

"Why would you do this?" quizzed Belldandy, "We trusted you. You know how much trouble that eye is."

"Lady Hagal has more of a use for that thing than Apollyon!" snapped Halval, knowing the gig was up, "I do not intend to let this sit!"

Things plunged into darkness again, but this time, audible music could be heard, and this time, it was polka! The darkness fell, and there was Halval dancing around doing the lederhosen dance. "Curse you!" snarled Halval, "How did you find out?"

"Chibi Hild told us before she went back to her place," answered Urd, "She knew she couldn't trust you. Now, are you going to play nice, or do we have to start with the Oktoberfest music?"

"NO!" she screamed, "Look, you have the coif and the eye. Hild prime has the ring, but having all three just makes you a target. Trying to put them back would only invite another attempt on them! They either have to stay separate, or you have to defeat Apollyon altogether!"

"Right," said Urd, unconvinced, "And what would stop you or Hagal from using the eye yourself? The temptation would be too great."

"But you know Hagal would make an attempt herself!" reasoned Halval, "Besides, she'd destroy me if she knew I was helping you! Please, stop the music!"

"We'll have to deal with that as it comes," answered Urd, "But she does have a point. Two things come to mind right now. One, it seems then that the eye will have to stay safe with someone, and the best place would be with Bell and Kei. It would be hiding it in plain sight. Two, we could use this upcoming rally race as a trap to lure out our prey and then deal with them there. If they knew you had the eye, then they all might make a play, and then we can act."

"Hey, you'd endanger Belldandy like that?" asked Keiichi, confused.

"She can take care of herself," said Urd, "Besides, you should watch out for yourself."

"Oh, Keiichi," said Belldandy, "We would be the eye of the storm. I would not let anyone harm you. We shall be safe. Let us set the trap, and put everything right."

"That would also mean bringing Sentaro to help with the rally," said Urd, "Considering that they might use him as a tool, the best place with him would be with us. We can use the excuse with helping with the rally to get him with us. You know he would jump at this!"

Skuld nodded, and then brightened, knowing he would be there, forgetting about the open affection that Belldandy and Keiichi were now showing at that moment. Halval was sore, not liking the fact that she now had to help her foes, and Belldandy then said, "Halval, perhaps you could use this to get back into Hild's good graces. You have a great chance for yourself. Please consider."

At that, an avatar of Chibi-Hild now sat on her shoulder and said, "Just consider this as a part of your punishment. If you can help them succeed, I'll think about clearing you."

Halval just sighed and said, "Oh, alright. This is such a rotten development."

She then moped back to her room as if she was a condemned criminal, going to the gallows. Urd then said, "Right: everyone needs then to get their rest, because we have planning to do. Tomorrow, we take the bike out on the course to test it there. This would be a chance to see if they might take a chance to attack, and we can then get an idea how they are going to go about this. I think they would not go all out for the first try, because, they too are looking to see what we have. Let's be ready!"

With that, everyone went back to bed, wondering just how much more complicated this thing was about to become.

Oh My Goddess Omake # 6

Freya: Well, as we continue, there is another issue that has arisen, and that is how having such relationships disrupts how shares for both sides are affected. First, we ask Ian. Ian, what do you think?

Ian: Hey, you would think they would find other ways to work.

Skuld: Hey, what does that matter? They're just sore losers! That's all!

Belldandy: I think it is wonderful. I mean, there is enough misfortune in this world. It is so good that people can feel they have some hope.

Freya: Well, Keiichi, it seems that there are some demons that feel your wish upset everything too much, and that you should have just left well enough alone.

Keiichi: Hey! Wait a minute! All I was to the other side was a toy—a means to an end! What would they have cared?

Freya: And we have a caller. Go ahead, caller.

Caller: Are you still griping about that, Kei darling? I could have given you so much more, and not have shook things up.

Freya: Are you saying that you would have granted him a wish?

Caller: Well, I would have considered it.

Freya: But, why did you not?

Caller: (Silence)… Hmm, never expected that question… *click*

Keiichi: I tell you, all I am is an afterthought to them!

Freya: Well, we'll have more questions for the afterthought after the break.

Keiichi: HEY!

5


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